Review #52: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Heavily Peated 10 Year

Distillery: Bruichladdich

Region: Islay

ABV: 50%

Age: 10 Year

Price: $60

Color: 0.4, Jonquil/Ripe Corn.

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Nose (according to the wife): The smoky peat is up front accompanied by some leather and a bit of burnt rubber. There are green apples as well along with some aged oak and seaweed.

Palate: Like the nose teases, the first note you come across is smoky peat. However, there isn’t as much of it as I had expected which is a disappointment. Beyond the peat, there are some fresh green apples, a bit of honey, and sea salt. With a bit of water, some iron mineral notes come out.

Finish: The finish is medium to long and incredibly creamy. There are some earthy notes as well as a bit of oak spice to go along with it.

Conclusion: For having Bruichladdich in flair, I’m kind of surprised it took me this long to review one. I really enjoyed the Classic Laddie, Islay Barley, and Octomore offerings from Bruichladdich in the past so I was excited to give this a try. Ultimately, I have to say, it’s an utter disappointment. While the whisky itself is pretty good, it does not live up to its name. When I read “Heavily Peated”, I’m thinking along the lines of Ardbeg’s Uigeadail. This, while it has distinctly is peated, fails to deliver on the “heavily” portion of it. If I cover up the name and drink the whisky, it is lovely. The smoky peat marries well with that bit of sweetness from the apple and honey while the sea salt adds another dimension to it. The finish is fantastic and creamy. Would I buy another bottle? Probably not, I’ll stick to the regular Laddie.

Final Score: 80 (in spite of failing to live up to its name)

Scotch whisky review #52, Island review #6, Whisky Network Review #69

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection.
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.