Whisky : Port Charlotte 12 Year (2003), Private Cask #863

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 50%

Cask : Sherry Hogshead

Age : 12 Year (Distilled Oct. 2003, Bottled Jan. 2016)

Nose : Meaty and lactic with subtle smokey vanilla.  Marinated pork, earthy florals, and freshly lit charcoal briquettes arrived before the nose took a funky turn.  Coffeeshop dairy fridge or a walk-in at a grocery store where people hide for their smoke breaks; dried old dairy, polished steel, and subtle smoke.

Palate : Medium bodied with sharp notes of salt, honey, and minerals.  Hints of dried fruits washed in on a wave of maritime brine and sweet clover honey.  A mild smoke developed with notes of dried grass, polished brass, and graphite pencils.

Finish :  Lingering dried grass, subtle smoke, and floral notes— the wife pinned it as cucumber water.

Score : 3

Mental Image : Dairy Fridge Deep Clean

Notes : If you have ever worked at a coffee shop and had to deep clean a dairy fridge, or worked in a grocery store and had to handle the dairy stocking— I have no doubt you will pick up right away an unmistakable note of dried slightly spoiled dairy on the nose of this.  While I love drams that surface a bit of nostalgia I cannot say this really hit any favorite memories— even if they were remarkably clear.

On color I would assume this was actually a refill sherry hogshead though based on the taste profile I doubt I would have been able to blindly guess this was sherry at all.  I picked up little cask influence besides maybe that initial hint of something like fruit punch on the palate.

Overall, there were a surprising amount of mineral and metallic notes to this mildly funky Port Charlotte.  This had some elements I really enjoyed, but overall it felt disjointed and a little bit hot.  A few drops of water did smooth it out, but also seemed to take away from the mouthfeel and brought out some bitterness to the finish.

Image Credit : Whisky Auctioneer