Port Charlotte 15 – Double Wood

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Time flies, and today we’re actually tasting  a Port Charlotte aged15 years! I remember the ones released at 5 and 6 years of age – they were stunning. With time the PC has evolved , and we’ve seen many different casks and different styles. This bottling is quite different and special in two ways : First it’s a private bottling (but those are not so rare, and I’ve tasted some in the past), the REAL anecdote here is this is the only PC that was recasked into a different cask per the choice of its owner Kjell Öberg..

Kjell tells the story:

“This whisky were lying in a very very tired refill bourbon hogshead and when I visited Jim at the distillery in september 2007 he proposed that I as the only person ever got the chance to recask into a new cask free of choise.

I started nosing casks, out whith the bung and in with my nose and after two hours i had come down to two casks that was smelling wonderful, a fresh sherry hogshead and this fresh Haut-Brion, yes and I chose the latter.

It become a slightly winey and spicy ( peppery ) almost little Port Charlotte goes Taliskerish”

Kjell was kind enough to send me a sample, and wanted to me to evaluate the liquid, which I did. (Many thanks!

Port Charlotte 2002 – Double Wood , 15 yo , Refill Bourbon + Fresh Haut-Brion Hogshead , 59.4 % 

Nose: Lots of peat as can be expected, but that’s not the only thing you’re getting on this beauty : it’s also quite sooty, tarry and feisty. It’s got some maritime influences, salt, seaweed, Iodine,  as well as a peppery tang, and also a wine-y edge. There’s also some fruitiness hiding under all that , maybe prune and fig.
Palate: Bigtime ash, soot and tar, as can be expected, some more of the sea-breeze / saltines, chillies and black pepper, a tad wine-y , and some nice sweetness as well , grapes, sultanas, dried figs, and blackcurrant.
Finish: Smoke, some sweetness, and chili pepper with a hint of wine.
Bottom line:
A rather excellent, complex and tasty Port Charlotte, the re-casking into wine casks added a nice wine-y edge, while letting the bold PC distillate shine through. Well done, and highly recommended if you can source a bottle (not sure any are left, and not sure where to buy as this is a private cask). very good choice of cask there, Kjell.

Score: 90/100

 

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