Port Charlotte 2001 East Village Whisky 23 yo

 

 

 

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

Ben Nevis 1997 East Village Whisky Bottled for the 5th Anniversary of Whisky Maniac 26 yo

 

 

 

49,7°

Distillery : Ben Nevis - Highlands

Refill Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By East Village Whisky Company

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Almost Unpeated

 

 

 

This Ben Nevis was produced in the golden era, between 1996 and 1998, so it's bound to be something very good. Bottled to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Whisky Maniac, the site that sells, exclusively I believe, bottles of East Village Whisky Company, it's the product of a special occasion. The cask used is a Refill Sherry Butt, so we can only hope that the distillate is not too distorted by the wood. 490 bottles were put on sale.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A light woodiness with warm chestnuts, chocolate chips, spring cereals, egg yolk, quince purée, tarte Tatin, a good dose of cinnamon, butterscotch, an ounce of exotic fruit in the background, pineapple, papaya, guava, passion fruit. Vaporous smoke tinged with peat. On the palate, it's nectar, rosewater, lychee, orgeat syrup, very light vanilla, and spices full of character, pepper and cumin. Malty, cereal notes. A few clumps of peat. Very long finish, just the right amount of power, kola nut, spritz, vanilla bean, wood and soft caramel, very slight bitterness, fermented barley. Egg mochi. Rice cake.

 

In Short, 

At first, it's a very good Ben Nevis, weighed down by a Sherry that's not too invasive, then it becomes exotic, even Far Eastern, without leaving the world of whisky at all. The malt and cereals are very much in evidence. A long journey, while remaining true to its roots. That said, I was expecting a bit more from this one, given the distillery's reputation, especially when distillation took place at that time. But it's still an excellent whisky, sold at the normal market price, which is to say rather expensive.

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           The End of The Ocean - We Always Think There is Going to Be More Time

Bruichladdich 2012 East Village Whisky 11 yo

 

 

 

52,7°

Distillery : Bruichladdich - Islay

Red Bordeaux Barrel

Independent Bottling 

By East Village Whisky Company 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Among the recent bottlings from the East Village Whisky Company is this Bruichladdich, aged for 11 years in a red wine cask from the Bordeaux region of France. Only 49 bottles are on sale, so it's a very limited edition. East Village Whisky Company is a German bottler owned by Peter Ostendorf. In fact, Ostendorf means East Village in German, so we have the origin of this bottler's name.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The wine barrel has taken over from the rest, fermented pomegranate seeds, watermelon, cherries in brandy, orange marmalade, wine jam. It's slightly acidic, even sour. Mon Chéri chocolate. Milk fermented with redcurrant juice. Very damp exotic wood. On the palate, it's still a little acidic, grapefruit, blood oranges, a drop of raspberry coulis, fairly powerful spices, pepper and cumin. The finish is quite long, rich, but also acidic, acerola, wood and caramel, passion fruit and quetsches.

 

In Short, 

The wine cask completely destroyed the identity of the whisky, and even turned it into something quite original, very fruity, certainly acidic, but quite well balanced. At first, I didn't like it at all, but after a few days of oxidation, the whisky became balanced and pleasant. It's certainly one of those young, very fruity wines, and the fruit has imprinted itself so much on the whisky that the identity of the liquid was lost. Let's say it's an experimental whisky, which will only appeal to lovers of fully-aged wine casks, because it's not a finish, which is quite rare. Nevertheless, this whisky has its qualities, particularly on the finish, I don't regret to have tasted it, at least I will remember it.

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Fire! - She Owned His Voice

Macduff 2011 East Village Whisky 10 yo 65,2°

 

 

 

65,2°

Distillery : Macduff - Highlands

Sherry Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By East Village Whisky Company

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

I'm still exploring some samples from East Village Whisky Company, a German bottler founded in 2017 by Peter Ostendorf, and this Macduff caught my eye. Aged for 10 years in a Hogshead Sherry, it filled 118 bottles. But what intrigued me was the alcohol content: 65.2°. Is the alcohol well integrated? Does this strength translate into a great intensity of flavour? In short, it makes you want to taste it. So I'm going for it. Not to be confused with another Macduff of the same age and distilled in the same year, which can also be found in this bottler's catalogue. As the cask numbers are not available, I differentiate them with the alcohol content. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The Sherry is intense, with lots of red fruits, blueberries, blackcurrants, acerola, fermented watermelon juice. Slightly burnt wood, earthy notes and liquorice. Cherry clafoutis, blackberry jam, apricot liqueur. Green tomato dough fritters. On the palate, it's syrupy, redcurrants, pomegranate, raspberry coulis, intense spices, nutmeg, hazelnut. The finish is as long as it is explosive, a real shrapnel bomb, salted butter caramel, antesite, melted butter, mahogany, a zest of lemon. Celeriac.

 

In Short, 

It's pretty much what you'd expect. The cask is of good quality, giving a fairly intense Sherry Bomb with rich, varied flavours. The alcohol is fairly well integrated, but it's best to drink another whisky beforehand to prepare the palate. The finish is obviously very powerful, but also very long and deep, which is really the main quality of this whisky. The palate is a little lighter, and the youth of the product is noticeable. They should have waited a few years before bottling, but the alcohol content would have gone down. You can still find a few bottles on Whisky-maniac, a German website that I often visit. If you're a fan of Sherry Bomb, it's worth a try. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Ezra Collective - God Gave Me Feet for Dancing

Tobermory 1996 East Village Whisky 25 yo

 

 

 

51,3°

Distillery : Tobermory - Islands 

Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By East Village Whisky Company 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2021

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

East Village Whisky Company is a German Bottler that appeared in 2017. Peter Ostendorf is the founder and owner. Today we discover this company with this 25-year-old Tobermory aged in a Hogshead, of which only 242 bottles were released.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Semi-salted butter melting in a pan, with a drop of olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon. Meringue, whipped cream, beeswax, royal jelly. A sprinkle of lime. Tarte Tatin, a pinch of cinnamon. The lemon is increasingly pulpy, becoming grapefruit, even pineapple, papaya, kumquat. On the palate, it's more mineral, chalk, lychee, some cereals, it's herbal, then the spices come through, pepper and cumin. The finish is long and powerful, very lemony, still mineral, with juicy pears, then it dries out towards the end. Slightly woody and gently bitter. Endive salad.

 

In Short, 

I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed, it's a very good bottling of course, but given the age and the ageing, I was expecting something exceptional. I really liked the nose and the finish, but it was on the palate that I found it a little light. The wood has influenced the whisky too much, and there's a slight bitterness on the palate, which comes through better on the finish, but which distorts the liquid a little overall. It's a shame, and at this price, these are flaws that are annoying. 

Score : 89 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Moving Mountains - Ghosts