Port Charlotte 10 year old is conceived, distilled matured and bottled only on Islay. Made from 100% Scottish barley, it is trickle distilled through tall, narrow-necked stills for a balanced, heathery style of barbeque smoke.
Our Port Charlotte 10 year old expression is everything an Islay whisky can and should be.
With an ambition to make the ultimate “Islay” whisky, this is a single malt made by people not software; a whisky watched over every day of its maturing life by those who made it; a whisky born of a community with a vision and a mission to kick start a single malt whisky revolution. This Port Charlotte 10 year old is who we are. This is where we’re from.
We believe an “Islay” whisky should live and breathe the fresh salt tang of Islay air, all its life. This is not a spirit distilled on the island and immediately shipped off to the mainland to mature in an undisclosed warehouse.
This is a spirit born from the island and the community, a true expression of the land, the culture, the people.
Character
Ageing for 10 years on the shores of Loch Indaal has had a profound effect on this spirit. Like sunshine on a winters day, this Port Charlotte 10 brings clarity and lightens the mood, welcoming and brightening the future.
Colour
Primrose to Citrine
Nose
The smoke is calmed by the marine, ozone character. While the smoke is always discernible on the nose it is dry and earthy in its style, allowing the oak to come forward with waves of golden caramel, fudge, vanilla custard, hints of ginger, nutmeg and clove. There is citrus fruit, coaxed from the glass with a drop of water, gentle lemon meringue and clementine. Breathe deeply and the floral aromas of wild thyme, heather and sea pink transport you to the Atlantic coast.
Palate
On the palate there is a noticeable delicacy and softness in texture and style. Again, the balance of flavour is superb as the smoke wraps loosely around the sweetness drawn from deep within the oak. Coconut, vanilla custard and lemon honey combines with smoked oysters and sun baked salty sand.
Finish
The finish is sublime. Smoky, sure, but with the soft sweetness of fudge and malted barley. Orange, mango and Banoffee pie signal the depth and quality of the oak. The many layers interchange on each sip. As the smoke comes and goes so too do the notes of ripe apple and apricot, beautifully intertwined with malt and oak sweetness and that typical Port Charlotte style dry smoke.
