Review: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 18 Years Old

Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte brand hits a milestone with this latest release — at 18 years old it’s the oldest expression of Port Charlotte I’ve encountered to date. 74% of the stock is aged in refill sherry casks, the other 26% in refill French oak wine casks (with additional detail unspecified). Let’s give it a whirl.

There’s very heavy peat on the nose, as you can imagine. Beach bonfire, quite ashy, dominates, but the experience is also extremely fruity — primarily showcasing baked apples, then lemon and even some peach. But all that fruit is fully on fire: massively smoldering, with a layer of almonds and milk chocolate underneath. The peat is strong with this one, impossible to avoid throughout the experience.

The palate is sweet and smoky in equal measures, indelibly interconnected. Unctuous and a bit cloying at times, the fruit here comes across as incredibly extracted, almost candylike. Notes of bubblegum, apple butter, peach rings, and almond cookies all hit in rapid succession, to the point where the experience is more than a little cacophonic, even confusing at times. As all of that fades, the finish turns out to be fairly gummy, and though some fun almond notes linger into the sweet conclusion, the heavy peat quality never really coalesces around it to create a cohesive whole.

Old Islay Scotch is often a magical experience, but either Port Charlotte 18 hasn’t yet gotten to that point — or it’s blown right past it. Bummer either way.

108.6 proof.

B- / $200 [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR]

The post Review: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 18 Years Old appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.