Port Charlotte The Peat Project

Spirit Name: Rating:	Port Charlotte The Peat Project
Score:	88/100
ABV:	46%
Region:	Islay, Scotland
Body:	Medium
Intensity:	Medium (piercing peat in the middle)
Texture:	Medium
Balance:	Heavenly
Best served:	Neat
Theme(s):	This is a youthful, sharp and energetic that offers complex layers of sweetness pummeled by dense coastal peat; yummy!
Tasting notes:	As the name suggests, this beauty is peated and proud of it; boasting that it is part of "the peat project". The "peat project" combines whiskies of different vintages that are basically peated Bruichladdich, the classic of which is not peated despite being from Islay. The result is a garden on fire, with floral notes burning in the smoky haze that is the coastal peat; beautiful.  Nose: Let us return to our walks with Henry, our King Charles Cavalier, along the beach. The lush green meadows are dotted with flowers as the sweet fresh floral fragrance meets the gentle sea breeze that adds the salty earthiness of the beach. The Laddie Classic reminded me of those walks, the smell of the flowers and the beach. The Port Charlotte adds some burning peat to that, almost like a smoldering camp fire beside the beach that is nearing its end as the embers burn the dry grass that are used to fuel the flames.  Taste: This is beautifully complex whisky, with a sharp peat explosion that is accompanied with coastal notes of saltiness and earthiness; though not too earthy and almost like a gentle spray of sea water while sitting on an old wooden pier.  The peat offers a powerful bitter start that is dense and cigar like, but this bitterness is counteracted by sweet fruity notes of sliced green apple and preserved strawberries. This whisky is vibrant, energetic and youthful.  Finish: The peat glows on the palate as its bitter vegetal character remains on the tongue for a long while, moderated by the sweetness that is at the heart of the Bruichladdich distilling.
Likes:	Smooth peat magic without noticeably large ripples
Price:	$90 (Aus)