Port Charlotte single malt is the antidote to convenience and market manipulation.
For too long, Islay has been exploited by those seeking to trade on the cachet of its name. It’s become a badge to add credibility and value, with increasingly fragile links to the reality of the island.
Islay has become a flavour profile not a provenance, with distillers importing barley from outside Scotland, then shipping spirit off the island to mature in undisclosed mainland warehouses.
What does it really mean to be an Islay single malt? To Bruichladdich it means commitment to Islay, investment in place and people, it means that everything must happen here, on the island and in the community. The whisky must be a true expression of the land, the culture, the people.
The Islay Revolution
We’re rooted in the culture and community of this island. Of eight distilleries on the island, we’re the second smallest, yet we are its largest private employer; eighty of our one hundred strong team are based here. This means something.
From the outset, it has been our ambition to create the highest provenance Islay whisky. There are easier places to make whisky. Easier methods and processes. And it’s cheaper to build warehouses on the mainland. But we’re not interested in easy options.
We believe to be called an Islay malt brings with it responsibilities – responsibilities to our community and to future generations here. This is not a mythical land of legend and tradition; our Islay is vibrant, dynamic, young and passionate. To us, Islay is not a label or a marketing equity. It’s our home, and it’s at the centre of our decision-making.
Port Charlotte single malt is conceived, distilled, matured and bottled only on Islay.
An Alternative "Islay"
Our Port Charlotte single malts are peated to a heavyweight 40PPM. Trickle distilled through our tall, narrow necked still, the resulting rich and aromatic spirit has all the power of peat with the elegance and finesse for which our stills are famous.
All our spirits are matured all their life in our warehouses on the side of Loch Indaal, Islay, gradually responding to the sea air and unique seasonal changes of Scotland’s west coast. Each cask is carefully watched over by our team, before being bottled in our Harvey Hall, using Islay spring water.
Port Charlotte single malt explores the complexities of natural whisky, through barley provenance, cask influence and the passing of time. It is living proof that our values are rooted in provenance, authenticity and transparency.
Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Heavy Peated
Now this spirit has reached its first landmark age – ten years. Ten slow years maturing in our Islay warehouses, soaking up the “ozone”-rich marine air that blows in off the Atlantic. And, significantly, this is the first time that we have had the luxury of being able to offer an age-statement Port Charlotte as part of our core portfolio, rather than just a limited edition.
This 10-year-old is now here to stay – the classic, elegance and finesse of Bruichladdich seamlessly married to the power and presence of heavy peat, left to mature slowly and unhurried for 10 Islay years. Very special.
