Port Charlotte Released

The first official bottling of Port Charlotte was launched yesterday. PC5 (or Port Charlotte 5 year old) Evolution is a departure in many ways from the currently available Bruichladdich expressions.

PC5 is peated to a level of 40 ppm, putting it right up there with Laphroaig in terms of peatiness. PC5 Evolution is bottled at cask strength - and at 63.5% abv it exceeds that standard strength of your average cask strength whisky. (By comparison Laphroaig 10 year-old Cask Strength runs around 55.7% abv).

Not only is it an uncharacteristically heavily-peated whisky (most Bruichladdich expressions are lightly peated or unpeated), it's the first Bruichladdich expression to be released  that was distilled following the 2001 renovation of the once closed distillery.

Like all Bruichladdich expressions, PC5 is non-chill-filtered and has no color added.

With only 1000 cases available, you may want to get your hands on a bottle quickly.

Comments

[James Campbell Andrew]

Can't seem to find it on Laddie's site this morning - do you have a direct link?

[Jody]

It doesn't LOOK that peaty from the image you posted. When I think of "peaty" I think of peat: dark, rich, thick smokey dirt. Glorious; like walking into a tobacco shop.

I recently bought The Peat Monster (from Compass Box Whisky (http://www.compassboxwhisky.com/html/whisky_range.html), SUGGESTING a whisky so peaty it'd knock my socks off, although I DID have my doubts from looking at its honey colour, and I was right: there's a bit of peat, similar to one of the Northern Islay distilleries, but nothing compared to Laphroaig or Lagavulin. Certainly not worthy enough to label itself "monster". Disappointing.

[Kevin Erskine]

Hi Jody,
The level of peat would have absolutely no impact on the color of the whisky.

Peat is added to the fire when drying the barley during the malting phase. The peaty flavors bond with the barley at this point and the peat taste (depending on level) will stick with the barley throughout the rest of the process.

The barley is then mashed, fermented, and distilled.

After distillation, the new make whisky is placed into casks. Unless, the distiller adds artificial coloring (prior to bottling), then the whisky gets all of its color from the cask and in particular the type of cask used..

For example, The Macallan is not a very peated whisky, yet has those dark colors you are speaking of - that comes from the cask used (sherry) and perhaps some caramel coloring?

Bruichladdich is generally aged in Bourbon casks, which impart a lighter, more golden color. and Bruichladdich never adds artificial color.

So if whisky were not aged in casks, it would be a colorless liquid whether it were very peaty or not.

[Kevin Erskine]

I guess I'm just too fast for their web guy. :)
There is an allusion to it on this page: http://www.bruichladdich.com/outsoon.htm

"Specials - In addition there will be a couple of top secret, one-off bottlings coming your way if you are lucky enough, including one very heavily sherried malt and a "Phenolmenal” one too."

[Jody]

> The level of peat would have absolutely no impact on the color of the whisky.

I didn't know that. I DO know about the distilling process you described, but I assumed the amount of peat used to dry the barley influenced the colour. Bummer. They should use that as a marketing ploy: I'd fall for it.

I also assumed The Macallan's colour was from the sherry casks, as you described, but then, a whiskies colour is so much part of its image, I would expect The Macallan to add colouring just to fool suckers like me.

How do you explain Lahproaig's colour, then? They use artificial colouring (eg. caramel)?

[Kevin Erskine]

Hey Jody,
I wouldn't judge the color of this one based on the photograph.

Re: Laphroaig, I don't know off the top of my head if they add caramel - they do not say that they do not.

Laphroaig is aged exclusively in Bourbon casks, so has a light golden color. As a matter of fact the Laphroaig 10 is very close to the Bruichladdich 10 in color, and Bruichladdich does NOT add color. Also The Laphroaig comes in a green bottle, so you may think that it is darker than it truly is.

ALSO keep in mind that the PC5 has only been aged for 5 years. The longer a whisky is in a cask, the more color it can absorb, so the PC5 IS very likely lighter than the Laphroaig 10, but not because of peat.

[Jeff]

Kevin, have you heard or seen anything that would say if/when this bottling will be released in the US? I've been asking around and no one seems to know. I emailed thewhiskyexchange.com because I'm going to be there next month but so far no word...

Any rumors of cost?

[Kevin Erskine]

I have not been able to talk to Mark Reynier yet about price or availability, but will let everyone know when I get an answer.

Luckily for my, I'll be at Bruichladdich on September 18th, so I'll be getting a bottle.

[jimmy]

....it's the first Bruichladdich expression to be released that was distilled following the 2001 renovation of the once closed distillery.

Is it the first expression to be "completely" distilled following the 2001 restoration? I'm thinking that 3D has four year-old whisky in it that was made by Jim & company. Right?

[Kevin Erskine]

You are correct, This is the first expression containing whisky which was wholly distilled by the new team.
The previous releases contained some amount of previous stocks.

[James Campbell Andrew]

According to Andrew Gray at Bruichladdich, it should be released in about 5 weeks time.

[Robin Low]

I just opened my bottle of PC5 and I was quite impressed with the flavor of the 5 year old whiskey.

I never really had anything good that is 5 years old before, and this whiskey was nice.

Though it was 63.5%, it did not feel so strong, in fact it went in smooth.

The bottles of Ardbeg Uigeadail I have will soon have company as I intend to get more PC5 to drink.

If anyone opens a bottle of PC5, remember to have a cigar too, it tastes better....

[gus]

This is a fantastic whisky. Great mouth feel, a fantastically smoky, phenol-rich nose and a lovely peat-filled, malty finish. I have great hopes that this will bring Bruichladdich into direct competition with the South Shore distilleries. I like this more than my Laphroaig Cask Strength and it easily competes with the uigeadail even at only 5 y.o. A great newcomer and exciting addition for those of us who love Islay.

I would not, however, as Robin suggests, smoke a cigar while drinking this. There are just too many delightful aspects to this that it would seem a shame to mask any of them.
Slainte,
Gus