Port Charlotte whisky stands as Bruichladdich Distillery’s tribute to the heavily peated traditions of Islay, named after the village near the distillery and inspired by the historic Lochindaal distillery that operated there from 1829 to 1929. Production began in 2001, with maturation taking place in the old warehouses at Port Charlotte, using Scottish barley and peated to 40 ppm for a robust but balanced Islay profile. The range includes core bottlings such as the 10-Year-Old and Islay Barley, alongside occasional cask explorations and limited releases, all bottled without chill filtration or artificial colouring. Despite its highly respected reputation among whisky enthusiasts, Port Charlotte is not the brand with the greatest number of bottlings, whether official or independent. It does not see a large quantity of releases each year, certainly not on the scale of some other Islay or Scotch distilleries. The approach at Bruichladdich emphasises quality, provenance, and thoughtful maturation over sheer volume, which means that every new Port Charlotte expression draws considerable interest when it appears, but they remain relatively scarce in comparison to industry giants and prolific independent bottlings. So today, we’ll review an official bottling of a private cask and two indy bottlings from the same vintage, with a Port Charlotte 2001 and two 2002 from WhiskySponge and Maltbarn.
Port Charlotte 2001 Blood Tub Cask 38 (2009) Review
We start with the official one, as it’s from an older vintage, and with the lowest ABV. This Port Charlotte 2001 is a private cask bottling from Blood Tub cask #38. A blood tub cask is a very small type of whisky cask, typically holding between 30 and 50 litres. Historically, distilleries have used blood tubs for transporting liquid due to their convenient size, but today, they rarely feature in commercial whisky maturation because they are uneconomical for large-scale production. When used, blood tubs offer intensely rapid wood interaction because of the high surface area to liquid ratio, making them popular for private or experimental cask projects where shorter maturation times and rich oak influence are desired. This Port Charlotte Blood Tub cask, filled on the 12th of June 2001 and emptied on the 31st of March 2009, yielded just 41 bottles reduced to 46% ABV, and filled without chill filtration nor added colour. One shop in Germany still lists it with a racket-like price close to €600, so your only chance will be to rely on auction or look for a sister cask.
Colour:
Mahogany.
Nose:
Neat: The nose starts with prunes, dates, and tobacco leaves with a touch of citrusy tartness. Blue cheese, ginger, subtle spices, waterproofing spray, and Black Forest cake. Despite good intensity, the low ABV keeps the nose balanced, and the peat presence is minimal.
Palate:
Neat: The palate reveals red berries layered with prominent smoke, confirming the heavy peat influence. After that appear brown sugar, strawberry jam, dark chocolate, leather, juicy red cherries, and blond tobacco. The palate carries prickly, fizzy spices along with pepper and pickled ginger slices. The mouthfeel is moderately oily but not very thick.
Finish:
The finish is surprisingly short, leaving lingering notes of red cherries and faint smoke, with a subtle astringency.
Comments:
Surprising Port Charlotte, feeling unpeated on the nose, but ’classicly’ heavily peated on the palate. It feels the blood tub cask held sherry previously, as there are quite some sherry maturation markers, perhaps Pedro Ximenez because of the resulting sweetness on the palate? Anyway, whatever the cask, it is very good, but unfortunately close to impossible to find this exact case because of the small outturn. Unless you want to spend an unreasonable fortune.
Rating: 7.5/10
Port Charlotte 2002 WhiskySponge (2020) Review
The next whisky is a Port Charlotte distilled in 2002 and bottled in 2020 by Whisky Sponge as Edition No. 4, marking one of the earlier releases in a series that now numbers over a hundred bottlings. This single malt spent 17 years maturing in a first fill bourbon barrel, which resulted in an outturn of just 220 bottles, each filled at a robust 57.1% ABV. You’ll have to try your luck at auction, as this is long gone from retailers.
Colour:
Amontillado.
Nose:
Neat: The nose opens with intense, coastal aromas of sea shells, oysters, and sea breeze, accompanied by maritime and medicinal peat notes such as antiseptic, gauze, and Mercurochrome. Driftwood smoke is present, followed by citrus elements, including lemon juice and zest, blood orange, and overripe nectarines. Finally, smoked fish aromas complete the profile.
With water: Slightly harsher, strangely, with a few drops of water, but that harshness disappears after a few seconds. It then becomes softer, as if some haze had fallen down over the nose.
Palate:
Neat: The palate is immediately marked by pronounced peat, complemented by a creamy mouthfeel. Flavours include smoked fish and burning wood, with a brief sweetness giving way to prickly ginger, spices, and a hint of saltiness. Additional notes of green apple and dental casting paste also appear.
With water: The peat grows sweeter, followed by a mild woody bitterness and citrus candy flavours.
Finish:
The finish is long and lingering, featuring light wood notes, fizzy maritime peat, driftwood smoke, soft spices, and a buttery sensation.
Comments:
Splendid Port Charlotte, both classic and delicious. Port Charlotte is a stunning peated make from Bruichladdich and, when not ruined by wine casks, a stunning whisky. Angus MacRaild shows here how good he is at selection casks, and how good Port Charlotte can be with time and a good cask that will let the distillate shine.
Rating: 8.5/10
Port Charlotte 2002 MaltBarn (2025) Review
The final bottle for today is another Port Charlotte distilled in 2002, this time bottled by Maltbarn in 2025. Matured for 22 years in a bourbon cask, with no specification about whether it’s first fill or refill, this single malt comes bottled at 55.2% ABV without chill filtration or added colouring. The release comprises 186 bottles, some of which remain available at around €330 each through retailers such as Whiskybase Shop.
Colour:
Jonquille.
Nose:
Neat: After 22 years in cask, the peat remains prominent with a distinct citrusy smoke character. Dust and ash aromas prevail, accompanied by minerality reminiscent of sandstone. Citrus notes include lemon and pomelo, balanced with light wood spices delivering a refined intensity.
With water: Smoked herring and wet coal aromas develop, along with hints of grassiness.
Palate:
Neat: The palate mirrors the nose with strong citrus smoke and dry, slightly farmy peat. Flavours of charred wood, dark chocolate, ash, chalk, vanilla, smoked fish, and ham appear, supported by well-balanced wood bitterness.
With water: After dilution, lemon and pomelo become more pronounced, and the mouthfeel turns creamy and coats the palate. The smoke embraces the dark chocolate and other flavours, highlighting their complexity.
Finish:
The finish is medium length, featuring woody and subtle chocolate notes with lingering dry smoke.
Comments:
This Port Charlotte 2002 bottled by Maltbarn stands out as an excellent whisky in its own right. Scoring it initially proved difficult, especially prior to dilution, as the Whisky Sponge bottling set an exceptionally high benchmark. While this expression may not reach quite the same level, it earns a solid 8, particularly when a few drops of water are added. Dilution reveals extra layers of aroma and flavour, underscoring its quality and complexity.