Port Charlotte 15 – Double Wood

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..

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.

Find where to buy Port Charlotte whisky