I sometimes like returning to whiskies I haven’t tasted in a while. I recently tasted the Talisker 10 again, and now it’s the turn of the Port Charlotte 10 year old.

It was in 2019 that I last tasted this, and now, 3 years and many batches later, I thought it would be fun to try it again. Not only do the batches change in flavour, but your taste also adapts over the years. I always find that interesting to see how that develops.

So I thought the batch from 2019 was rather nice, but the question is, what will I think of it now…

This Port Charlotte has matured in first-fill American whiskey casks, second-fill American whiskey casks and second-fill French wine casks. Bottled at 50% ABV.

Port Charlotte 10 year old tasting notes:

Nose: a fair amount of peat mixed with vanilla. But also bonfire smoke. A touch of seaweed. Barley sugar in the back. Hay. Red apples and fresh lemons. Caramel fudge and a hint of anise. Later also rubber in the back.

Taste: again, peat and vanilla. Caramel fudge. Honey. Apples and a hint of bananas. Lemons. A hint of anise and honey. Then some spices with mainly crushed black pepper and a hint of cloves.

Finish: a long, slightly dry finish with notes of vanilla and toffee. Apples. Bonfire smoke and crushed black pepper.

From memory, this one seems slightly better than the one I tasted in 2019. That one was a bit more straightforward, while this one is perhaps a bit more complex. So it’s still a lovely peated single malt, which I can certainly enjoy from time to time.