This Port Charlotte 2001 bottled by Malts of Scotland comes at a whopping 66,3% of alcohol. I’m not sure but it might be the strongest Scotch I’ve ever had (The Stagg outclasses it of course). There’s another fact that sets it out from the crowd: it was finished fully matured in a white Rioja wine cask.
Port Charlotte 9 yo 2001 (66,3%,
Malts of Scotland 2011, white Rioja hogshead, MoS 11017, 345 btl.)
Port Charlotte 9 yo 2001 (66,3%,Nose: rather huge notes of burnt grass, sand, brine, kippers and smoke. All this with a coating sweetness from the wine. Water is probably not a bad idea, so let’s try that. It adds big notes of damp cloth and flax rope, as well as some hay, garage smells and wax.
Mouth: very sweet and very peaty (it probably hasn’t been measured, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this is close to an Octomore in ppm). Quite juicy with sweet grapes and sugared lemon juice. Undiluted it tends to numb your mouth. Water adds tarry notes, sweet smoke and some saltwater.
Finish: long, clean, with grapes and peat.
This Port Charlotte is extreme in many ways (alcohol, peat, sweetness). I’m not the biggest fan of unrestricted sweet peat, but on the other hand, it’s much more than just another wine finish. Around € 85.
Score: 88/100