Mnogi početnici u svijetu viskija često budu zbunjeni jer misle da je Port Charlotte naziv destilerije. No, destilerija nosi ime Bruichladdich i smještena je na otoku Islay u Škotskoj. Ono što Bruichladdich čini posebnim jest njezina proizvodnja kako dimljenih tako i ne-dimljenih viskija. Njihova paleta proizvoda obuhvaća:
Bruichladdich serija: Uključuje Classic Laddie te različite Barley serije poput Bere barley, Islay barley i Organic barley, sve su to ne-dimljeni viskiji.
Black Art: Ovo je ne-dimljeni viski starijih godišta. Bačve za ovu seriju naslijeđene su od prethodnih vlasnika.
Port Charlotte: Dosta dimljen viski s 40 ppm. Danas ćemo degustirati seriju Cask Exploration.
Octomore: Eksperimentalni viski s izrazito jakim dimljenim okusom, često preko 80 ppm. Nastao je jer nisu imali dostupan ne-dimljeni ječam, pa su odlučili isprobati s dimljenim – i to što jačim dimom što mogu, nerijetko sa preko 200ppm-a!
Uz ove glavne serije, često ćete naići i na imena Lochindaal i Rhinns. To su viskiji proizvedeni u Bruichladdich destileriji, ali namijenjeni su privatnim kupcima ili IB. Po svojoj karakteristici slični su Port Charlotte viskiju, ali variraju u intenzitetu dimljenosti: Lochindaal s 50 ppm i Rhinns s 30 ppm.
Bruichladdich destilerija osnovana je 1881., a ime Bruichladdich Distillery Co korišteno je pet godina kasnije. Destilerija je promijenila vlasnike dok nije 1993. prešla u vlasništvo Whyte & Mackay Distillers i zatvorila se dvije godine kasnije, 1995.
Indipendent bottler Murray McDavid, predvođen Markom Reynierom, oživio je Bruichladdich. Mark Reynier nagovara Jim McEwan da se pridruži timu u Bruichladdichu (do onda Jim je radio kao distillery manager u Bowmoreu). On se pridružuje timu i 11.09.2001. kreće Bruichladdich ponovno destilirati. Pod vodstvom Murray McDavid, ime destilerije ponovno je korišteno i nudila se široka paleta proizvoda. Kasnije su se odlučili koristiti samo škotski ječam, od kojeg je 40% s otoka Islay. 2012. godine Rémy Cointreau kupio je tvrtku za £58 milijuna i udvostručio proizvodnju te razvio plan izgradnje novih skladišta.
Danas vam donosimo priču o seriji Cask Exploration. Koncept Exploration serije proistekao je iz želje da se istraži kako različite bačve utječu na destilat dimljenog Bruichladdicha od 40 ppm-a. Krešo iz Mokošice (kjelcic81@yahoo.com ) organizirao je degustaciju i imali smo čast ugostiti Lesley McGeachy, ambasadoricu Bruichladdich destilerije, na našem online druženju.
Podijelit ću s vama dojmove o svakoj boci koju smo degustirali, no ovom prilikom neću davati ocjene. Svi viskiji koje smo kušali bili su izuzetno dobri, s ocjenama između 6 i 7/10. Toplo preporučujem da ih isprobate ako već niste. Na kraju ću istaknuti koje su boce bile favoriti većine prisutnih.
Port Charlotte MC: 01 2009, 56.3%, WB: WB112322, 2009-2018, Marsala casks
Ova edicija je u biti travel exclusive tako da nije bila široko dostupna u dućanima. Oznaka MC znači Marsala cask.
Staro 9 godina, uljasto, whisky legs se glatko spuštaju, chewy, vrlo slatko na nosu.
Nos
med, dimljena roštiljska aroma, slano, tamno, čokolada, karamela, karamelizirani šećer
Okus
malo oštro na nepcu, papreno, slatko, dim
Završetak
papreno, pepeo, dug aftertaste Vrlo lijep početak, prilično slatki viski. Vjerujem da bi ljubitelji cigara uživali u ovome.
Port Charlotte OLC: 01 2010, 55.1%, WB: 158053, 2010-2020, Oloroso finish
Za ovu seriju, doznali smo da su kombinirane ex-bourbon i vinske bačve dodatno dozrijevale 18 mjeseci u Oloroso bačvama. Zbog visokih troškova, Bruichladdich rijetko koristi sherry bačve. Oznaka OLC zapravo je skraćenica za "Oloroso casks". Prema informacijama s Whiskybase-a, postoji oko 30.000 boca, iako ta informacija nije službeno potvrđena. Drugi izvori navode brojku od oko 10.000 boca.
Nos
topao, bogat, dim, karamela, grožđice
Okus
uljasto, puno tijelo, čokolada, marzipan
Završetak
pepeo, čokolada, tobacco
Odlična ekspresija Port Charlotte-a. Oloroso nije dominirao već je dao slojevitost. Balansirano.
Port Charlotte MRC:01 2010, 59.2%, WB:112323, 2010-2018, Ex-wine casks from Bordeaux
Ovaj viski dozrijevao je 7 godina, kombinirajući 50% ex-bourbon bačava i 50% Bordeaux bačava. Iako nam službeno nisu mogli otkriti porijeklo Bordeaux bačava, neslužbeno se šuška da potječu iz prestižne francuske vinarije Château Mouton Rothschild. Odatle i kratica MRC, koja sugerira "Mouton Rothschild casks".
Nos
grožđice, korica naranče, dim od roštilja, sol, chocolate, izuzetno kompleksan nos za ovakvog mladića
Okus
uljnat, masan, mesnat, gorčast, spaljen šećer, dim
Završetak
dugačak, pepeo, slatkoća, suh
Stilom podsjeća na MC ali je ipak kompleksniji i nije toliko sladak. Nekima je ovaj viski bio favorit večeri.
Port Charlotte PAC:01 2011, 56.1%, WB:181477, 2011-2021, French red wine finish
Dolazi iz vinskih bačvi Pauillac regije, od tud kratica PAC.
Nos
dim, čokolada, tobako, med, sol
Okus
đumbir, slatkoća, vanilija
Završetak
peppery, kremast, peopeo, ne predugačak
Ovaj viski nudi posve drugačiju aromu i dojam u usporedbi s ostalima iz PC serije. Njegov neobičan i suptilan karakter, s manje izraženim dimljenim notama, čini ga posebnim. Unatoč tome, zaista me zaintrigirao svojom autentičnošću. Mislim da je ključno posvetiti mu dodatno vrijeme i pažnju kako bismo u potpunosti shvatili sve što nam pruža. Dok su prethodni PC viskiji bili izravni i jasni, ovaj kao da traži malo više strpljenja. Da smo ga kušali na početku degustacije, možda bismo stekli sasvim drugačiju sliku o njemu. Nažalost većini se najmanje svidio.
Port Charlotte SC:01 2012, 55.2%, WB:209631, 2012-2022, Saturnes finish
Ovo je prvi PC iz serije Cask Exploration Series koji je napravljen sa 100% ječma sa otoka Islay. Ječam dolazi sa 7 farma, sherry butts i ex-bourbon hogshead su pomješani i dodani u saturnes vino bačvu. SC kratica znači saturnes.
Nos
dim, prekrasna slanoća, bogat nos, breskva, slatkoće, suhe šljive
Okus
herbalne note, slatkoća, kremast, puno tijelo
Završetak
pepeo, slatko, dugačak
Jako lijepo izbalansiran viski. Da li terroir utječe na okus? Da li je moguće da ječam koji raste blizu mora ostavlja trag u ovom viskiju?
Port Charlotte PMC:01 2013, 54.5%, WB:231824, 2013-2022, Ex- bourbon & Ex-Pomerol
Whisky koji je prvo odležavao 4 godine u ex-bourbon bačvama, a zatim 5 godina u ex-pomerol (crno vino iz Bordeaux proizvedeno u Pomerol regiji) bačvama.
Nos
jako lijep slojeviti, slatkasti nos, gumeni bonboni, naranča, suhe datulje, sušene smokve, spaljen šećer, vanilija
Okus
tobako, sol, putar, malina, kava
Završetak
pepeo, kava, slatkoća, dugi završetak
Mislim da je ova ekspresija bila favorit večeri. Stvarno lijepo balansiran, bogat whisky.
Kao završnu poslasticu, Krešo nam je predstavio Private Cask bocu kako bismo vidjeli interakciju ex-bourbon bačve s Port Charlotteom. Važno je napomenuti da ova boca nije dio Cask Exploration Series.
Port Charlotte 2003., 59.2%, WB: 100288, Private Cask, 2015, First bill bourbon
Već na prvu vidimo da godina destilacije i starost ne paše. Moguće da je etiketa već bila pripremljena ali se punjenje moralo odgoditi pa je ostala stara etiketa.
Nos
slatkoća od vanilije, balansiran, iako ima dosta alkohola ne osijeti se, floralan, voćan, sol
Okus
kompleksan, dosta dima, peppery, začini, vanilija, sol
Završetak
dugi finish dima i slatkoće, vanilija
Stvarno prekrasan whisky, ali skroz druga kategorija od Cask Exploration Series. Odličan primjer Bruichladdicha i njegovog destilata koji nije prekriven raznim bačvama.
ZAKLJUČAK: Zaista impresivan niz viskija, svaki od njih predivan. Ne mogu reći da je ijedan loš. Kao grupi najviše su nam se svidjeli PMC, OLC i MRC i Private Cask.
Osobno, najviše su me oduševili OLC i PMC, ali i neočekivani favorit PAC. Prvo bih odabrala bocu PAC-a kako bih je detaljno istražila, a potom PMC.
Zahvaljujem Kreši i Lesley na divnom druženju i degustaciji. Nadam se skorom ponovnom susretu, jer Bruichladdich priprema nekoliko izuzetno zanimljivih izdanja koje jedva čekamo isprobati!
Ako ste zainteresirani za degustacije viskija ili priče o njima, pridružite nam se.
Sve note i doživljaji su vlastiti. Vaša percepcija može biti potpuno različita od naše. Ukoliko je nešto krivo navedeno, molilm Vas da nas kontaktirate.
PORT CHARLOTTE - CASK EXPLORATION SERIES - TASTING
Many beginners in the world of whisky often get confused thinking that Port Charlotte is the name of the distillery. However, the distillery is actually named Bruichladdich and is located on the island of Islay in Scotland. What makes Bruichladdich unique is its production of both peated and unpeated whiskies. Their product range includes:
Bruichladdich series: This includes Classic Laddie and various Barley series such as Bere barley, Islay barley, and Organic barley, all of which are unpeated whiskies.
Black Art: This is an unpeated whisky of older vintages. Casks for this series were inherited from previous owners.
Port Charlotte: A heavily peated whisky with 40 ppm. Today, we will be tasting the Cask Exploration series.
Octomore: An experimental whisky with an extremely strong peat flavor, often over 80 ppm. It was created because they did not have access to unpeated barley, so they decided to try with peated – and as smoky as possible, often over 200ppm!
In addition to these main series, you will often come across the names Lochindaal and Rhinns. These are whiskies produced at the Bruichladdich distillery, but they are intended for private customers or independent bottlers. They are similar in character to the Port Charlotte whisky, but they vary in the intensity of smokiness: Lochindaal with 50 ppm and Rhinns with 30 ppm.
The Bruichladdich distillery was established in 1881, and the Bruichladdich Distillery Co name was used five years later. The distillery changed owners until in 1993 it came under the ownership of Whyte & Mackay Distillers and closed two years later, in 1995.
Independent bottler Murray McDavid, led by Mark Reynier, revived Bruichladdich. Mark Reynier persuaded Jim McEwan to join the team at Bruichladdich (until then, Jim had been working as a distillery manager at Bowmore). He joined the team and on September 11, 2001, Bruichladdich started distilling again. Under the leadership of Murray McDavid, the distillery's name was used again, and a wide range of products was offered. Later they decided to use only Scottish barley, of which 40% was grown on the island of Islay. In 2012, Rémy Cointreau purchased the company for £58 million and doubled production and developed a plan to build new warehouses.
Today, we bring you the story of the Cask Exploration series. The concept of the Exploration series stemmed from a desire to explore how different casks affect the distillate of smoked Bruichladdich at 40 ppm. Krešo from Mokošice (kjelcic81@yahoo.com) organized the tasting, and we had the honor of hosting Lesley McGeachy, the ambassador of the Bruichladdich distillery, at our online gathering.
I will share with you my impressions of each bottle we tasted, but this time I will not give ratings. All the whiskies we tasted were extremely good, with scores between 6 and 7/10. I highly recommend trying them if you haven't already. In the end, I will highlight the bottles that were the favorites of most attendees.
Port Charlotte MC: 01 2009, 56.3%, WB: WB112322, 2009-2018, Marsala casks
This edition was essentially a travel exclusive, so it was not widely available in all stores. The MC label stands for Marsala cask.
Aged 9 years, oily, whisky legs drop smoothly, chewy, very sweet on the nose.
Nose: honey, barbecue smoke, salty, dark, chocolate, caramel, burnt sugar.
Palate: a bit sharp on the palate, peppery, sweet, smoke.
Finish: long, ash, sweet.
A very nice start, a rather sweet whisky. I believe cigar enthusiasts would enjoy this.
Port Charlotte OLC: 01 2010, 55.1%, WB: 158053, 2010-2020, Oloroso finish
For this series, we learned that combined ex-bourbon and wine casks were additionally aged for 18 months in Oloroso casks. Due to high costs, Bruichladdich rarely uses sherry casks. The OLC label is an abbreviation for "Oloroso casks". According to information from Whiskybase, there are about 30,000 bottles, although this information is not officially confirmed. Other sources mention a figure of about 10,000 bottles.
Nose: warm, rich, smoke, caramel, raisins.
Palate: oily, full-bodied, chocolate, marzipan.
Finish: ash, chocolate, tobacco.
Excellent Port Charlotte expression. The Oloroso did not dominate but added layers. Very well balanced.
Port Charlotte MRC:01 2010, 59.2%, WB:112323, 2010-2018, Ex-wine casks from Bordeaux
This whisky aged for 7 years, combining 50% ex-bourbon hogsheads and 50% Bordeaux casks. Although they could not officially reveal the origin of the Bordeaux casks, there are unofficial whispers that they come from the prestigious French winery Château Mouton Rothschild. Hence the MRC label, which suggests "Mouton Rothschild casks".
Nose: raisins, orange peel, barbecue smoke, salt, chocolate, extremely complex nose for such a young one.
Palate: oily, fatty, meaty, bitter, burnt sugar, smoke.
Finish: long, ash, sweetness, dry.
Stylistically reminiscent of MC but is more complex and not as sweet. For some, this whisky was the highlight of the evening.
Port Charlotte PAC:01 2011, 56.1%, WB:181477, 2011-2021, French red wine finish
It comes from wine barrels of the Pauillac region, hence the PAC label.
Nose: smoke, chocolate, tobacco, honey, salt.
Palate: ginger, sweetness, vanilla.
Finish: peppery, creamy, ash, not too long.
This whisky offers a completely different aroma and impression compared to the others in the PC series. Its unusual and subtle character, with less pronounced smoky notes, makes it special. Despite this, it truly intrigued me with its authenticity. I feel it's essential to devote more time and attention to fully understand everything it offers. While previous PC whiskies were direct and clear, this one seems to ask for a bit more patience. Had we tasted it at the beginning of the tasting, we might have formed a completely different picture of it. Unfortunately, it was the least favorite for most.
Port Charlotte SC:01 2012, 55.2%, WB:209631, 2012-2022, Saturnes finish
This is the first PC from the Cask Exploration Series made with 100% barley from Islay. The barley comes from 7 farms, sherry butts & ex-bourbon hogshead were mixed and added to a saturnes wine casks. The SC label means saturnes.
Nose: smoke, beautiful salinity, rich nose, peach, sweetness, dried plums.
Palate: herbal notes, sweetness, creamy, full-bodied.
Finish: ash, sweet, long.
A beautifully balanced whisky. Does terroir affect taste? Is it possible that barley grown near the sea leaves a mark on this whisky?
Port Charlotte PMC:01 2013, 54.5%, WB:231824, 2013-2022, Ex-bourbon & Ex-Pomerol
Whisky that first aged 4 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then 5 years in ex-pomerol (red wine from Bordeaux produced in the Pomerol region) casks.
Nose: a beautiful layered, sweet nose, rubber candy, orange, dried dates, dried figs, burnt sugar, vanilla.
Palate: tobacco, salt, butter, raspberry, coffee.
Finish: ash, coffee, sweetness, long finish.
I think this expression was the favorite of the evening. Really beautifully balanced, rich whisky.
As a final treat, Krešo introduced us to a Private Cask bottle to see the interaction of the ex-bourbon barrel with Port Charlotte. It is important to note that this bottle is not part of the Cask Exploration Series.
Port Charlotte 2003, 59.2%, WB: 100288, Private Cask, 2015, First fill bourbon
At first glance, we can see that the distillation year and age do not match. It is possible that the label was already prepared, but the filling had to be postponed, so the old label remained.
Nose: vanilla sweetness, balanced, although it has a lot of alcohol, it is not felt, floral, fruity. Palate: complex, a lot of smoke, peppery, spices, vanilla, salt.
Finish: long finish of smoke and sweetness, vanilla.
A truly wonderful whisky, but a completely different category from the Cask Exploration Series. A great example of Bruichladdich and its distillate that is not covered by various casks.
CONCLUSION: Truly an impressive range of whiskies, each one beautiful. I can't say any of them are bad. As a group, we liked PMC, OLC, and MRC the most, as well as the last one, Private Cask. Personally, I was most impressed by OLC and PMC, but also the unexpected favorite PAC. First, I would choose a bottle of PAC to thoroughly explore it, and then PMC. Thank you, Krešo, and Lesley for the wonderful get-together and tasting. I hope to meet again soon, as Bruichladdich is preparing several very interesting editions that we can't wait to try!
If you are interested in whisky tastings or stories about them, join us. whiskyclick.com@gmail.com
All notes and experiences are personal. Your perception may be completely different from ours.