Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PC12 Oileanach Furachail
Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PC12, 12 YO, 58,7 %
This is the eight release in the PC series by Bruichladdich. They started with the 5 YO Port Charlotte PC5. The Bruichladdich Port Charlotte PC12 is a Travel Retail Only bottling.
Port Charlotte is the heavily peated variant of Bruichladdich, and the phenol level is said to be at around 40 ppm.
Here is what the distillery itself says about this release and its name:
All Port Charlotte expressions are a tribute to the legacy of the men, Gaelic speakers, who ran spirit for one hundred years in the old Lochindaal Distillery in the village that clings to the rocky shores of the Rhinns of Islay.
PC12 carries the title "Oilenach furachail" in the old language. It refers to the young student carefully observing how the master goes about his work, looking and learning, preparing for the day when the world will sit on his shoulders.
The master they refer to is of course Jim McEwen, and the student is Adam Hannett, who has worked alongside Jim now since 2006.
Nose (22/25): Caramel and fruits - mainly apples. Mild and sweet smoke, well-rounded. Baked apples filled with prunes. The peat smoke gets more pronounced after a sniff or two. Thick wood smoke. Salted butter. Berries in the end. The nose is rich.
Taste (22/25): Very smooth and creamy, with lots of pepper and a faintly artificial sweetness to it. Pepper, with a bit of an edge. Sweet but something slightly off somehow - not exactly sure what I am missing, but a piece of the puzzle is not here. The peaty ashes are a tad too sweet perhaps. Lots of banana. There are burnt notes here as well.
Finish (20/25): Warm and long. Very rich and oily - almost like butter. The strange sweetness is still here, and I cannot shake the 'burnt down banana plantation' feel. Licorice - very sweet and fresh licorice.
Balance (21/25): The sweetness did not go well with the peat smoke for me in this whisky. I am a little bit disappointed really. The PC10 is by far the best in the range, in my mind. I think I'll have to pour myself a dram of PC10 right now.
Score (85/100)
Sláinte! - Thomas
