Soba45
Port Charlotte 10 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
February 19, 2019 (edited November 2, 2019)
I really quite enjoyed this dram. It didn't beat the laga 16 I had but definitely was better than the weird noted laga distillers ed. It was an interesting combination of peat and sweetness. The peat was heavy on the ppm but didn't have the deep rounded richness of a laga 16 or laph 10. It had a bit of a harsher note at the end but I liberally applied water and it worked wonders; the harsh note was muted and the flavours intensified. Both the peat and vanilla sweetness were quite crisp and sharp but still came together nicely. I'd definitely like to try more of this. Update Oct '19 After buying and working through a bit of a bottle more I realized 1) Whilst perfectly drinkable at 50% optimal flavor and texture for me dictates water to be added 2) It's a solid 4. Nice lovely mild peat but not a great deal of complexity. I rated the Bunnahabhain 18 4.25 to 4.5 and that I'm always keen to drink.. this I'm not hanging out for.
Update 2 Jan 2020: After working my way through a good chunk of a liter bottle I'm thinking more a 3.5 to 3.75 as it gets quite thin, acidic and bitter. It really doesn't last well. Quite a step down from the Loch Gorm 2019 I've been pairing it with.
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@dubz480 Eh Interesting, it's a cheap dram here. Storm was interesting very briny...smoked sea water :-). ranked 7th out of 8 taliskers I've tried (surprisingly the 25 yr was least favorite!). Def try not buy.. still I gave it a 3.5.. slightly above average.
@WhiskyWitch Ah right. here it's closer to the $45USD mark
@Soba45 It used to be $70 USD, but recently went down closer to $60. Not as expensive as in other places, I guess.
@WhiskyWitch How much is Tal 10 where you are?
@Soba45 I haven't tried PC10, but that is exactly how I would order the others as well. @dubz480 Talisker is expensive here too, but worth it. It has the perfect balance of sweetness and peat for an entry-level.
@Soba45 cool. For some reason Talisker is the most expensive in my market ($90). We do have one called Talisker Storm for $50. I read a lot of mixed reviews on that one
@dubz480 I'd probably go Laga 16/ Talisker 10 (tie), PC10 then Ardbeg 10
@BDanner Cool that gives me a good frame of reference. Agree on the Lag although not much between it and the Talisker IMO. Much prefer both to Lap and Ard. Cheers as always for the feedback!
@dubz480 the Lag16 is the best Islay I’ve had and $70 is $30 less than what I pay. The PC10 is up there, though. A unique experience. I preferred it to the Ardbeg and I may even like it more than the Lap10, but I’d have to revisit it to say for sure. I’ve not tried the Talisker.
@BDanner what did you think versus Lag 16 or even Talisker 10?
@dubz480 I’ll second you on the hard to find. I bought the first bottle I saw and haven’t seen it since.
@Soba45 I figured based on your review! This one has been pretty hard to find so when I saw it I figured I'd check before pulling the trigger. Cheers as always!
@dubz480 I'd say the Lag personally. That's great value!
I can get a bottle of this or a Lag 16 for the same price, go with the Lag? Both are $69.99.
@tylerss20 Yeah I'll have to retry that. I last tried 4ish years ago when I was just getting into whiskey and wasn't big fan but everyone rates it well these days and I love just about everything else Laph so will have another crack.
@Soba45 the Quarter Cask is reasonably priced, and I would say on level with PC10, although it has no age statement
@tylerss20 I'd agree with it being better than the Ardbeg 10 and Bowmore. Been a while since I've had Laph 10 and from memory that holds higher place for me but then again 40% probably wouldn't cut it as well these days. There is a higher CS version out but much more expensive and very hard to get.
Of the "entry level" big peaty Islay whiskies (Ardbeg 10, Laphroaig 10, Bowmore 12) I would put PC 10 on par or slightly better than all of them. For me it balances the big smoke and brine you want with other notes as well. Now, it IS more expensive than those three. But I may prefer it even to Lagavulin 16.
@Slainte-Mhath I haven't had the 10 just v 7 and 8. I liked them but personally I just don't think they are worth the price. I gave them a similar rating to this one. They maybe a better drop than this but it's been a while since I tried and you can get anywhere from 2 to 4 of these in NZ for 1 of the Octs from memory. So on that basis this comes up trumps.
@cascode Cool, I have a bottle of the Octomore 10 yo 2nd Edition. Good to hear it's worth the money, I will keep it for later. Today, I will open my Octomore 07.1 which will be my next review :-)
@Slainte-Mhath Octomore 10 year 2nd edition is one of the best whiskies I've tasted. It is expensive, but IMHO worth it. I have a bottle of it, and also the old PC 10 2nd ed and this new PC 10 in my long-term keeper stash. All stunning whiskies.
Just finishing up a bottle of the PC10. A great pour (4 stars) that’s a tad smokier than the Octomore series despite the advertised ppm counts. I find the Octomore more elegant and a cut above but probably not enough to justify the price difference.
@Soba45 How does PC10 compare to Octomore 10 yo? I bought a bottle of both, but struggled with the price tag on the Octomore. Is it really worth it? PC10 on the other hand is a great addition to Bruichladdich's core range.