Port Charlotte 2001 | PC6 Cuairt Beatha

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 61.6%

A bottle of Bruichladdich's much-beloved Port Charlotte PC6. When this appeared in 2007 it was only the second general release official bottling of Port Charlotte, the distillery's heavily-peated-but-not-as-much-as-Octomore spirit, which generally clocks in around 40ppm.

Nowadays 40ppm doesn't sound so much, but this is a very big whisky at 61.6% and those 40ppm punch well above their weight - there's a lot of phenolic power here, but it's tempered by the use of Madeira casks, which add balancing sweetness.

A massive whisky that still has a big following, Bruichladdich's Port Charlotte PC6 has stood the test of time and remains one of the distillery's landmark bottlings. Cuairt Beatha, by the way, is Gaelic for 'Walk of Life'.

Attributes

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Sorrel chestnut/polished hazel.

Nose: Opens beautifully, balanced on malt, peat and young spirit. The youth and strength of the spirit infusing the aromas of green apple, mild mint, clove, bayleaf and forest greenwood. Given a dash of water and time little notes of meadowsweet, iris and honeysuckle put their head above the parapet but don’t linger too long as the next wave of bracken and smoke with a slipstream of vanilla is about to overload the olfactory senses. The Madeira cask influence lies deep in the glass and brings the rich notes of syrupy dates and raisins which hold up well to the onslaught.

Palate: Absolute rock ‘n’ roll Islay. the heat of 61.6% plus 40ppm peat – and it’s still only six years old – together develop into a unique palate experience. If you love peated malt this kid has the “wow” factor. It’s got an effervescence of spindrift and smoke, sweet citrus – the texture of the spirit is awesome due to trickle distillation. It’s the integration of all the characters of this island – particularly the guys who made it – that gives this spirit a 100% Islay DNA. This is a spirit that challenges, it exhilarates and it delivers – big time.