Port Charlotte 17 Year (2001), The Cask Whisperer
Whisky: Port Charlotte 17 Year (2001), The Cask Whisperer
Country/Region: Scotland/Islay
ABV: 52.8%
Cask: Sherry Cask
Age: 17 Years (Distilled 2001, Bottled 2019)
Nose: Rich barbecue smoke, caramelizing meat, teriyaki glaze, smoked salmon, mellow brine, musty wood, hints of earthy mushroom, hay, and barn.
Palate: Medium-bodied, viscous, sweet and fruity, grilled pineapple, wood smoke, smoked salmon, grass, musty hay, barnyard, earthy mushroom.
Finish: Medium to long and slightly drying with earth, salt, and mellow barn funk.
Score: 7+
Mental Image: Manor Farm Victory Barbecue
Narrative & Notes: The aroma was a true Port Charlotte delight, with ample, rich barbecue smoke over more subtle earth and farmy funk. A rich barbecue smoke wafted in, initially brown sugar, thyme, and tomato paste caramelizing over coals, slowly transitioning toward teriyaki, and finally, smoked salmon. A mellow brine and black pepper bridged the barbecue with musty decayed wood, earthy mushroom, sweet hay, and a mellow barn funk. Medium-bodied and viscous, the flavor profile was surprisingly sweet up front, with a slow and steady transition toward earthy and grass at the end. Grilled pineapples, peaches, and a tart raspberry coulis arrived first with underlying notes of smoke, charred wood, and brown sugar. Smoked salmon and burnt grass gradually gave way to musty hay, tar, burning cured cow paddies, and earthy mushroom. The finish was medium to long and slightly drying with earth, salt, and mellow barnyard funk.
There was no mistaking the Port Charlotte DNA running through this dram. I loved the interplay of smoke, salt, earth, and farm, all hallmarks of my favorite Port Charlotte bottles in the past. If I were to quibble with any parts of this whisky, I would say that the mouthfeel was not quite as firm and textured as I wanted— it was viscous, but with more of a juicy quality than the oily thickness I hoped to find. Some of the notes stood out slightly askew as a result, especially the sweet hit of fruit right at the beginning, which left the whisky a notch or two too sweet for my taste.
I do not usually bother lingering too much on what I did not like about a whisky, I tend to focus on the parts that I particularly enjoyed, but I love Port Charlotte so much it felt easier to focus on some of the shortcomings rather than list all of the wonderful aspects of this malt. Those shortcomings were only my opinion, and I am slightly more sherry cask averse than most, so I have no doubt that if you love sherry and the notes here sound good, you may rate this in an even higher tier than I.
Overall, I like Port Charlotte, and I thought this was a great example of the style Jim McEwan intended to produce.
Image Credit: Whiskybase
