Port Charlotte PC8 Ar Dùthchas

Octomore 14 Series Tasting, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 21 February 2024. Whisky #2 Nose: Freshly milled barley grist with a musky, vanilla aroma. A light touch of oak in the background but the cask is well contained. Not overly smoky, although some peatyness is present and this enlarges with the addition of a little water. On the dry glass a whiff of gunpowder is sensed, which is probably some sulphur from the fermentation finally showing through. Palate: A heavy, oily texture with peat-reek, stewed apricots and apples in the arrival. As it develops, chili spice, pepper and ginger appear to add complexity to the fruity, smoky profile and these are emphasised by a few drops of water. Dilution also changes the oily texture to a more creamy consistency. Finish: Medium/Long. Cereal and light smoke with wine-cask notes showing through in the aftertaste. Initially this was very tight but rest in the glass and a few drops of water opened it up nicely. I’d certainly recommend dilution as it is quite spirity when neat and there are some chemical, acetone notes apparent. This all resolves into a harmonious, smoky character when watered. PC8 Ar Dùthchas is a unicorn whisky nowadays, although you can still find it on the secondaries. The Oak Barrel generously provided a bottle for this tasting and there were even a couple of bottles available for sale, but at AUD$700 it was a pass for me. I certainly enjoyed this expression, and it was superior to the 2013 Islay Barley that opened the evening’s tasting, but in the end I had the impression that this 8 year old PC represents a snapshot of the distillery back when it was still finding its way. Great stuff, but they have since produced many equally good or superior whiskies. “Very Good” : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Nose: Sought heather and peat, bacon Palate: sweet and smooth entry middle hot burn Finish: long

Released in 2009. This is the best whisky I tried for the first time in 2019. The 3 best whiskies I tried from 2019 were from Bruichladdich: Octomore 2.1, PC5, and PC8. This PC8 is the best of the three. All three served hard regret because I missed the renaissance of Bruichladdich and the chance to purchase the first few distillates matured by the WhiskyGod Jim McEwan when he took over at Bruichladdich at retail price. I still happily found a bottle of this on the secondary market, and this is probably the best $250 I have spent on a bottle of whisky. That first whiff of PC8 fresh out of the bottle at 60.5% ABV is like smelling the Universe when it was 10^-12 seconds after the Big Bang, when the fundamental building blocks of matter as we know it has not yet formed. You do not know what you are nosing for the first instant, and it takes a second for this mental image of a coiled snake soaked in acetone and petrol, emitting jet black smoke, forms. You can taste this without water for shits and giggles. It is like ingesting an unexploded bomb. The ethanol level is aggressive, but the actual mouthfeel is thin. You get wood varnish, chlorhexidine, butyric acid, and some other chemicals; and an ashy finish. It is clean, in a sterile kind of way. I recommend adding water and drinking this at 45-50% ABV to uncoil this beast. The flavors explode, and the mouthfeel thickens to a molten candlewax. There are sharp tart notes and peppercorns and broad savory notes of Tonkotsu broth. A medicinal smoke is strong throughout, and this is as much a peat monster as any Octomore. The finish envelops the soul. This reminds me of Port Ellen, except remastered and in HD. So ashy but so characterful. Ginger skins, lemon skins, oysters in soy sauce, composting in the summer. And it has a chestwarming, throatscratching burn that is a flaw in most whiskies because it is unearned. This one earned the burn, and is literally off my charts good. Score: **** (I rated my own piss after drinking this one star, or on par with Talisker 10) How much does a bottle cost on the secondary market: $250-500 How much do I think a bottle is worth: $600