Port Charlotte Scottish Barley

Oily, creamy, peaty malt. Smoke, smoke, and more smoke. 8 different kinds of smoke. Smoke for days and days. Do you want smoke? Because this is how you get smoke!! If you don't like smoke, what the hell's wrong with you? Also, you might want to pass on this one... or, you know, buy it and give it to me once you figure out that you hate it. It hurts to say this... it pains me as much as this whiskey is smokey. I might actually like this more than Laphroaig and Highland Park. There, I said it. I am ashamed of myself.

Hello, lover

A bit of a one note; brown sugar and caramel nose with cereal notes and peat. On the palate, no real change. The flavor is okay, but just okay. It isn’t particularly balanced well. The peat has a distinct flavor, reminiscent of Springbank, but not as much character. For a 50% abv, it should have had more of a kick. Adding water opened nothing but a hint of citrus and grassy notes, but I really had to search for that.

They say this is heavily peated, but this is more like Talisker spiked with dessert wine! Progressive they are at Bruichladdich, but I’m not sure whether it’s the right direction. I mich prefer their age statement releases. 89

More salty and briny then peat for me. formaldehyde on the nose

Nose: a tad muted in terms of complexity. Mostly delicious but not overpowering peat smoke with lemon cream and generalized citrus. Palate: now we’re cooking with gas. The mouthfeel is generous and mouth-coating with a medium viscosity. The strong peat smoke steps a bit aside for sweets: caramelized sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, along with some slight floral and herbal notes popping through. Finish: the wood spice really shows itself here in the malty, drying, balanced medium finish. The sweets stick around and blend nicely with some tart, juicy red fruits, too, along with a dusting of pepper right at the end. Final thoughts: very drinkable. Being Non-chill filtered, naturally colored and 50% abv, this malt from Bruichladdich checks a lot of boxes despite being an NAS. Even as a fairly well-seasoned peat head I’m really enjoying this dram. True, it’s not overly complex, but if you’re looking for a well-balanced peaty pour that you don’t have to think too much about and aren’t craving that Laphroaig/Ardbeg peat punch in the face, grab a bottle of this stuff and sip in peace.