Port Charlotte OLC:01 2010

 

It's fair to say, at this point, that I love Bruichladdich. They are so clean, so crisp, the flavors are so warm and wonderful. Their Bere Barley 2010 is my whisky-of-the-year so far. I could drink it all day and night (and have!). So when my friend Rob Martin gave me a dram of the Port Charlotte (heavily peated Bruichladdich imprint) OLC:01 2010, I was ecstatic. 

The OLC:01 is a cask experiment. Rather than simply summarize, I will quote Bruichladdich on this one: 

"Few single malts originally start their journey in such a complex combination of casks. Fewer still complete their journey in genuine Oloroso sherry hogsheads from a fine Spanish bodega like Fernando de Castilla. Distilled back in 2010, from the 2009 crop of Scottish Barley, this heavily peated single malt was first filled into an array of ex-bourbon, ex-Syrah and ex-VDN (vin doux naturel) casks. In 2018, this spirit was transferred into a parcel of Oloroso hoggies that arrived at our distillery on the personal recommendation from bodega owner, Jan Pettersen."

So there you have it. Bottled at 55.1% (thank you, Bruichladdich), let's see how it does:

Nose: The peat here is present, but rather subdued. Figs jump out, as does honey and freshly cut grass. Coffee. Simple syrup, as the Bruichladdich website implies, is certainly present. A distant red-fruit sherry aspect. Dark, dark red fruit: ripe plum flesh, ripe blackberries, ripe dark cherries. Dates. 

Mouthfeel: Thick, resinous. 

Palate: Absolutely delicious, and interesting. Full of the various wine casks, this has many, many angles going on at the same time, most of which were hidden on the nose. Very resinous and wine-y. Dry, woody, sweet, figgy, with a distinct chocolate/caramel thing going on. Rich shag pipe tobacco. Some light smoke. Grapes. Salty. More of the red fruit. This is rich, complex stuff. 

Finish: Here is where the heavily peated-ness comes through - the oak and the peat smoke outlast the other flavors, and carry on your tongue for quite some time. Really nice. 

Verdict: Another huge winner for Bruichladdich, which is rapidly becoming my go-t0 Islay malt. Rich, dripping in flavor, fresh, punchy, bold, bottled at a nice hefty ABV... this is classic stuff. Buy if you can. It's worth it.