Richard-ModernDrinking
Port Charlotte 10 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
December 1, 2020 (edited April 6, 2021)
Is there anything more humbling for a whisky know-it-all than a blind tasting? From the six finalists for the Whisky Exchange’s pick of 2020, I ranked in second place a blind sample of a dram I have previously poured down the drain, albeit in an earlier incarnation. And one of my favorite whiskies came only fourth. In my defense, my ratings were otherwise pretty consistent with my previous ones and my top pick was the crowd’s overall favorite, the Port Charlotte 10. It’s easy to understand why. To be eligible for The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year award, a whisky must not exceed £65 or 48% ABV and can’t be a limited release. Port Charlotte 10 is one of the best whiskies to tick those boxes and I’m very glad that this award will encourage more people to taste it.
Tasted blind, I ranked it 4.25, a notch above my previous tasting. My blind notes list bacon bits and a hint of lemon powder on the nose, brisket and salted almonds in the mouth and a long chewy finish. That’s pretty consistent with my previous notes, so the latest batch is clearly at least as good if not better than two years ago.
For the record, here’s how I ranked and rated the other finalists versus my last unblind taste. I’ll post individual notes as there’s much for me to unpack here.
2-Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Year Old Port Finish: 4.0 vs 2.0 for 12-year version. Clearly those extra two years have made a huge difference!
3-Nikka Coffey Malt: 3.75 v 4.0
4-Kilkerran 12: 3.5 v 4.5. Can I blame batch variation?
5-Johnnie Walker Green: 3.25. Not previously rated.
5-Lagavulin 16: 3.25 vs 4.0, though that was six years ago and I wouldn’t rate it that high now.
This was a fun tasting even though I got the samples too late to vote for my favorite and I’ll definitely make a point of doing this again next year.
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@robertmaxrees Some whiskies are pretty consistent from batch to batch and I wouldn’t expect Bruichladdich to struggle too much with maintaining the recipe for a relatively recent release. You’re more likely to notice batch variation with the likes of Ardbeg, which has had to navigate cask inventory issues because of decisions taken when the distillery last changed hands.
I've really, really enjoyed the Port Charlotte I've had previously, though didn't even consider vintage as a factor - going to have to hunt down a more recent bottle now because of this review. Well done.
@Ctrexman too bad you can’t ship liquor to Texas...
@Ctrexman lol, the opportunist.
Yes the Lag 16 is going downhill. I think everyone should send their opened unfinished Lag to me here in Texas so I can properly dispose of it
Ah very interesting experience. would love to do something similar!
@ScotchingHard I just revisited the Lag 16 sample in the blind tasting pack and it’s shocking how mediocre it has become. I’ve much preferred the younger iterations they’ve been releasing since the 8 debuted and the gap’s only getting bigger.
I love the new port Charlotte 10 year. I tasted it blind with ardbeg 10, Laphroiag 10, Laga 8, and Kilchoman MB. It was not close. I think it’s more a case that the other distilleries are getting weaker than PC improving.
Just read on the Whisky Exchange blog that the Glenmorangie came in second in the voting. It’s likely that the most distinctive whiskies are going to come out top in a blind tasting and these two easily stood out from the pack.
@BeppeCovfefe Ha, I’ll check it out!
"Clearly those extra two years have made a huge difference!" hey! are you reading my notes again? haha that was pretty close to exactly what I said on that Glenmorangie review.
@ContemplativeFox Good to know - I’ll post some more notes on the 14 after I finish the sample
Thanks for leaving the full list of ratings (and historical comparisons)! I'm in the same boat as you on the Quinta - the 12 was not enjoyable, but the 14 is great.
@PBMichiganWolverine The Malt is very nice.
@Richard-ModernDrinking wait, I screwed up——I was thinking the Nikka Coffey Grain. I confused it with the Malt. I didn’t like the Coffey grain at all, but admittedly never tasted the Coffey malt.
@PBMichiganWolverine Are you not a fan? I liked the Coffey Malt when I last had it.
@Richard-ModernDrinking out of these, was surprised by the Nikka. But blind tastings don’t lie—-it is what it is.