Port Charlotte 13 Year (2004) Sansibar Spirits Shop’ Selection

Review by: The Muskox

u/b1uepenguin’s week of Port Charlotte reviews has been making my mouth water, so I had to crack open a sample of my own. This Port Charlotte was bottled by the excellent German bottler Sansibar for the Taiwanese market. I love the thick honey and stonefruit character bestowed by Sauternes casks, and Chateau d’Yquem is arguably (other people’s arguments, I know next to nothing about wine) the best producer of Sauternes on the market. Bruichladdich is also the only distillery I know of that sourced a whole bunch of these casks, doubtless due to former owner Mark Reynier’s connections in the wine world. I’m excited for this one.

Distillery: Bruichladdich.

Bottler: Sansibar.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 53.7%, cask strength.

Age: 13 years old. Distilled in 2004. Bottled in 2018.

Cask type: Chateau D’Yquem Sauternes cask.

Color: No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

Nose: Ooo, complex. Hard cheese is the first thing that jumped out at me, maybe pecorino. Sweet flavours of honeycomb, fig jam, white cherries and white chocolate. Slightly tropical – sappy banana plant and orange, and something like tart passionfruit. Pleasant lemony acidity. There’s a floral character too, maybe lily. There’s a strong savoury and earthy peat-reek underlying everything: grilled asparagus, prosciutto, bandages, tobacco ash, and sea salt.

Palate: Medium texture. Arrives with lemon, stonefruit, and more white flowers, then turns very earthy and dunnagey with charred oak and medicinal peat. Lots of savoury vegetal notes – grilled asparagus and brussel sprouts, edamame in soy sauce. Nutty flavours of parmesan, light-roast coffee, and peanut oil. Hints of runny honey towards the finish.

Finish: Medium-length, charred and sweet. Yellow apples, honey. Sea salt, earth and some soft iodine. Cooler notes of pine and peppermint. Lemon sorbet, toasted coconut, and a hint of pineapple.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Tapas tapestry”

Notes: A great whisky, full of the notes that people tend to crave in Port Charlotte. Salty cheese, tart fruit, and charred veggies, heck yeah! The nose is complex and beautifully balanced, up there with some of the best I’ve come across in the category. The palate and finish, however, lack some of that complexity and are short on some textural richness and flavour punch. It’s not operating on the very highest level for a Port Charlotte of these specs, but it’s most of the way there.

Final Score: 87.

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.

Leave a comment