51,7°
Distillery : Bruichladdich - Islay
Hogshead
Independent Bottling
By East Village Whisky Company
Limited Edition
Single Cask
Bottled in 2024
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 40 ppm
Recently, there has been a kind of competition to bring out the oldest Port Charlotte possible. There were a few 19-year-olds released confidentially in 2023 and 2024, but the 20-year-old Rock'ndaal from the Feis Ile 2024 was the occasion to communicate that it was the oldest Port Charlotte. This was untrue, as some 21-year-old Port Charlotte had already been launched before. This one was the bottling that made everyone agree. It is the oldest by 2 years. It has been aged in a Hogshead cask, but the colour of the liquid seems to me to be a little dark for that. Only 142 bottles are on sale.
Let's Taste It :
Woody fruits, liquid caramel, chewing tobacco, grimy smoke, soot, greasy charcoal. Gooseberries and cranberries, soaked in fuel oil, motor oil, oilseeds. Grape seed oil, argan soap, fermented fruits, it's a little vinous. Floral touches bring a nice balance. On the palate, chestnut cream, dried fruits, dates, apricots, chocolate, lively spices, cumin, cloves. The finish is long and powerful, just-ground coffee, cocoa powder, bark, tinder, bay leaves, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, macadamia. A pinch of charcoal.
In Short,
The nose is typical of the brand's profile, but there's nothing absolutely exceptional about it, though that's to be expected given its age. The finish is very beautiful, but on the palate I find it a little light. It's disappointing on the whole, I was hoping for better from the oldest Port Charlotte in circulation. It's still a very good whisky, of course, but at over 20 years of age, it should be sublime. I wonder if there isn't a problem with the cask, which is advertised as being a Hogshead, but I detected some vinous touches and it's a little too woody. This reminds us that age is not a decisive factor in the quality of whisky. What makes a good whisky is the quality of the distillate, and the quality of the cask, which can only be improved by age.
Score : 88
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Jakob - Blind Them With Science
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