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Port Charlotte 10 Year Old Heavily Peated

Creosoted Barley Sugars

9 1385

@RianCReview by @RianC

29th May 2019

1

Port Charlotte 10 Year Old Heavily Peated
  • Nose
    ~
  • Taste
    ~
  • Finish
    ~
  • Balance
    ~
  • Overall
    85

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

I've tried a few different Port Charlottes now and have generally been very impressed. This is the latest version of the 10 year old, which looks as if it's going to be a permanent fixture - we shall see . . .

Thanks to @Wierdo for the sample. Review is neat.

Nose - Strong hit of peat and creosote - there are nods to the 'stable' type peat of Ledaig here for me. Some creamy barley and lemons, juice and rind, with some salty/coastal elements.

Taste - Juicy and creamy mouthfeel with a big citrus and creamy barley hit. Ash and smoke as it develops.

Finish - Some mild tannins with the ash and some sherbet lemons hanging in there.

With water - More creosote on the nose and perhaps enticing a little more sweetness from the grain on the palette, but it does the mouthfeel no favours at all. Better neat.

Simply put, it's good, but it's not amazing. It's been a relatively cold and wet day here and the warming peat is welcome for sure but I think I definitely preferred the older (NAS but not really NAS) HP version over this. It all works fine, and the quality is certainly there, but it just seems a little, well, underwhelming and one-dimensional - which could be a plus for some 'big hitting peaters' but not here. Ultimately, I think there are better peated options for less £.

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13 comments

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

@RianC I think you are spot on with your tasting impressions, but I guess I like that profile a bit more than you and would score it closer to 90 than 85. I just ordered a replacement. Very nice and informative review. Cheers.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC commented

@BlueNote - Thanks! It most likely does come down to taste preference with this one as it is a very nice malt whisky, no doubt. I just feel that the older HP had a bit more clarity and sharpness whereas this is more creamy and rounded.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@conorrob
conorrob commented

Personally I was disappointed with this one. The off flavours (chemical creosote) were the most interesting thing about it for me. Great review as always.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

Thanks for the review. Have you had the PC Islay Barley HP? If so, how does this compare?

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

@OdysseusUnbound Yeah, I’m curious about that one too. I think it’s only 7 or 8 years old.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@BlueNote I have the Port Charlotte Islay Barley Heavily Peated 2008. It was bottled in November 2015, making it 6 (and a half) years old. I’ve only had 2-3 drams from my bottle but it’s very interesting. It doesn’t taste immature at all.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

@OdysseusUnbound Good to know.

Cheers.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC commented

@OdysseusUnbound - Thanks! I've not had it, sorry.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood commented

Nice review! I thought you might like this one more than you did. I really enjoyed this release like @BlueNote and think it's got its place among the other Islay giants like Ardbeg, Laphroaig 10 and such. The thing about the older HP variants is they could really change based on the vatting used (I've had some stunning almost coal/tarmac peat ones and others that were just ok)

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@cricklewood
cricklewood commented

@OdysseusUnbound that first edition Islay Barley Port Charlotte is quite interesting. When first opened I felt like it was a cross between Laphroaig 10 and Kilchoman Machir Bay. Eventuallybit subdued but the maritime elements and the farmy peat work really well in this edition.

I got to sample the new PC Islay Barley recently and while it's different it is also quite good.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@MadSingleMalt
MadSingleMalt commented

The one Port Charlotte Islay Barley I've had (no idea which edition - sorry - but I bought it in 2016) was nearly the equal of the one PCx I've had, the PC7.

All other Port Charlottes I've had are at least a notch below, including the new grenade-bottle Port Charlotte 10. I'm pretty keen on trying the new Islay Barley, given how good I found the one I bought in 2016.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC commented

@cricklewood - Honestly, I expected to like this one more than I did and when I first sniffed the sample I was grinning ear to ear . . .

Interesting about the vattings. If I remember right, the PC SB HP (which I reviewed on here) had quite a lot of French wine casks in the mix. I get the impression this is more bourbon heavy - not that that should hamper the experience, mind, but maybe that 'farmy' peat style bounces off the wine notes in a way that it doesn't with the bourbon? Listen to me . . . full on nerd, ha! I say this as this peat style definitely reminds me of the Ledaig Amontillado and that rocked my world!

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

@MadSingleMalt @RianC I passed on the Islay Barley in favour of the PC10 on our last group order. I think I fell into the trap of assuming a 10 year old must be better than a 7 year old. I still like the 10 more than you guys seem to, but I’ll grab the Islay Barley next time for comparison.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?