Review #516 - Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Year Re-Review
While only 3 styles of single malt are widely distributed by Bruichladdich - the unpeated Bruichladdich, heavily peated Port Charlotte, and super heavily peated Octomore - the distillery actually has made 5 styles. Small production runs of Rhinns and Lochindaal were also done; Rhinns is lightly peated, while Lochindaal is more heavily peated, falling between the Port Charlotte and Octomore ranges.
Port Charlotte, then, is the 'middle ground' for peat levels from Bruichladdich, but don't let that fool you - this is a heavily peated single malt, with phenolic levels around 40ppm on the barley. This entry level version from the brand is aged for 10 years, and it's bottled at a solid 50% ABV.
The cask makeup for Port Charlotte 10 Year might vary slightly from batch to batch, but this is the general idea: 65% first fill ex-bourbon casks, 10% refill ex-bourbon casks, and 25% refill French wine casks. As it's predominantly ex-bourbon in use, and several of the casks are second fill or refill, we're expecting this to have a good spirity kick despite those 10 years of aging.
Bruichladdich always gives us good bottling specifications, too: there's no use of chill filtration or spirit caramel coloring, so we're getting a natural whisky.
Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Year
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Price: USD 66 (2025)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Cask Makeup: 75% ex-bourbon, 25% French wine casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 4 months; bottles at 100% (blind tasting), 50% (blind tasting), and 20% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Rounded and malty, with a medium to strong peat smoke. This is nice and full of flavor: cream or custard, honey, butter, and some oranges. Charred wood and salt add a drying side, and we get a soft herbal note with time, as well as some vanilla.
Palate: A medium thickness mouthfeel; custard and lemon curd, medium or so peat smoke, and a bit of ash - lots of different flavor directions. It's oily with nice texture, and we get sweetness from orange candies and lime; brine and iodine, seaweed, and salt grains add that coastal side. In the background, black pepper adds a kick, and there's a soft herbal effervescence.
Finish: Medium to strong peat lingers for a while, combining with sweet malt, hay, lime sherbet, and some wood spice for a nicely rounded profile. Honey and grass arrive in the aftertaste, and it's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: Quite a nice Islay single malt - this would probably be our suggestion for the best of the 10 to 12 year old core range peaty single malts from the island. It has a bit more complexity than some competitors like Laphroaig 10 and Ardbeg 10 (though it's slightly more expensive than either of those), but also a nice punchy strength to carry more heft, too. Very tasty whisky, one that we try to keep on our shelf as a consistent, reliable go-to bottle.
Pricing on this bottle has actually come down slightly in the last year in our area - maybe we're starting to see the effects of the slowdown in the whisky market. Because of that change, this good value - one of the best options for 'entry level' Islay single malts.
Our Average Rating: 7.2 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.93
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Port Charlotte reviews:
Review #137 - Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 Year
Review #99 - Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 8 Year Islay Barley 2013
