Whisky: Port Charlotte 14 Year (2003), Duncan Taylor “Rare Auld”

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 52.8%

Cask: Sherry Cask

Age: 14 Years (Distilled July 2003, Bottled June 2018)

Nose: Earthy, baking spice, and campfire. Top notes of earthy barbecue with an undercurrent of compost, smoked cheese, and dry baking spice. Maritime notes built quickly with smoked salmon and subtle notions of street cart grills, grilled shellfish, and sweet chili oil. A subtle earthiness linked notes of campfire ash, tar, nutmeg, and allspice.

Palate: Full-bodied and rich with salt, grilled seafood, and pickled fruit.  Roasted San Marzano tomatoes, plums, figs, and Korean pears upfront— fruity elements to a good barbecue or roast.  Seafood mingled between the sweet fruits and salty backbone of the dram— crispy candied salmon skin and Renaissance Fair petting zoo.  Tar and fresh sunbaked asphalt waited on the back end as smoke and peat reek developed at the finish.

Finish: Lingering notes of roasted fruit and hot parking lots.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Barbecuing with a Theme

Notes: The nose was rich and complex, but the palate felt simple and aggressive. I tried adding a few drops of water to see how that might shift the balance of flavors. However, even a few drops left the profile feeling washed out and muted. The notes stayed relatively the same, but the richness and vibrancy faded. It can be a bit tricky scoring a dram when the experience of the nose and palate are so different. The aroma was amazing, I could sit and sniff this for a long while, yet that is not the point of whisky— the smell is just the introduction, the entrance exam, the appetizer— the palate should carry the dram to the next level. This one tripped a bit along the way.

Independently bottled Port Charlottes are not necessarily rare— though they are becoming less common as Bruichladdich does not trade or sell off a lot of stock anymore (at least not compared to the first decade of their modern rebirth). Prices have begun to creep up, especially for wine matured Port Charlotte dating from Jim McEwan’s time at the helm. I thought this was nice, but perhaps due to the weight of my expectations, I felt a bit let down that the palate did not have more than a hint of lactic or farmy funk.

Overall, a lovely Port Charlotte with a complex nose and rich palate of flavors. I only wondered, in the end, if I graded a bit harder because it was Port Charlotte? If I slapped another distillery name on the bottle— one with which I have little experience, would I have rated it higher? Or maybe I have gotten into my head a bit overthinking the score.

Image Credit: Whisky Auctioneer