Review by: dustbunna

Port Charlotte 10 is probably the one readily-available bottle that I could easily fall back on in a heartbeat if suddenly the variety of Scotch whisky were to collapse. I’ve tried a number of the special wine-cask higher-strength releases in search of other Port Charlottes that I might connect with, and searching local stores with that in mind is how I ended up with a bottle of Islay Barley. Like Bruichladdich’s unpeated version, this Port Charlotte Islay Barley is sourced entirely from barley grown on the island— according to the distillery it’s a mix of Oxbridge and Publican varietals grown at Dunlossit, Kilchiaran, and Sunderland farms on Islay. This is a younger sibling to the 10yr, at 6 years of age with a similar 75/25 vatting of ex-bourbon and wine casks, respectively (2nd-fill Syrah and Figero, in this case.)

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Distillery: Bruichladdich.

Bottler: Distillery bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 50%.

Age: 6 years. Distilled in 2011. Bottled in 2018.

Cask type: 75% ex-bourbon, 25% second-fill Syrah and Figero wine.

Price: $82 USD.

Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Bottle open across approx. 3 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point.

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Nose: campfire smoke, champagne, ripe nectarines, white cake, ripe plantains, grass.

Palate: oily texture ~ charred sticks with a medicinal underlay, fizzy, floral, ash, sweet smoke.

Finish: medium-long ~ lingering coal smoke, more white cake, purple Nerds, cut stems.

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Conclusion: Remarkably consistent whisky, just like the 10yr. A fellow reviewer suggested to me this release was in the same flavor space as Octomore 7.3, and I agree to some extent– it’s rougher at the seams, but amps up the fancy-dessert aspect and keeps that spinning alongside multiple variations of peat smoke. The nose is really intoxicating, and I wish more of the fruitiness translated onto the palate, which for me is quite close to the 10.

Overall, I greatly enjoy this— same score as the 10, in a ranked list I might notch this one just ever-so-slightly higher for the nose alone. That said, they’re close enough in quality and there’s enough of a premium on the Islay Barley series that I think I’d probably just go for another round of the 10, if push came to shove.

Final Score: 86.

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.