Port Charlotte PMC: 01 2013 750ML

Port Charlotte PMC:01 2013 750ML is a heavily peated Islay single malt Scotch whisky bottled at 54.5% ABV in a 750ml bottle after extended maturation in Pomerol wine casks. This release marks the first time Port Charlotte spirit was finished in casks from Pomerol — the smallest of Bordeaux's major appellations and home to some of the world's most celebrated red wines — lending a distinctive red-fruit depth to the signature Islay peat.

Quick Facts: ABV: 54.5%  |  Origin: Islay, Scotland  |  Distilled: 2013  |  Distillery: Bruichladdich

Production & Heritage

Bruichladdich Distillery, founded in 1881 on the shores of Loch Indaal on Islay's Rhinns peninsula, produces Port Charlotte as its heavily peated range, using Scottish Concerto barley peated to 40 parts per million (PPM). The PMC:01 2013 was first matured for four years in first-fill bourbon barrels before spending a further five years in Pomerol wine casks sourced from Bordeaux's Right Bank. The whisky is non-chill filtered, matured entirely on Islay, and bottled using local Islay spring water — a practice Bruichladdich applies across its range to preserve the spirit's full texture and character.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Warm peat smoke and red fruits lead, followed by stewed pears, melon, and a subtle marine note. Delicate florals — rose and geranium — emerge alongside vanilla, honey, leather, and toasted oak from the Pomerol cask influence.

Taste: The palate opens with malt sugar and assertive peat smoke wrapped in tremendous viscosity that coats every surface. Mid-palate, the wine cask character takes hold: succulent blackberries and plum interweave with aged leather and dark chocolate sweetness. Hints of wet soil and sulfur add an earthy undertone that grounds the fruit.

Finish: Long and smoky, with lingering notes of carbolic soap, resin, and faint dark oak. The Pomerol-derived tannins hold the fruit in place well after the final sip.

How to Drink Port Charlotte PMC:01

At 54.5% cask strength, this expression rewards a few drops of water to open the interplay between peat and red fruit; sipping neat also works for those who enjoy full-intensity Islay malts. For a bold Penicillin, the red-fruit and smoke backbone adds a Bordeaux-inflected twist to the classic honey-ginger framework. In a Rob Roy, the Pomerol cask notes integrate naturally with sweet vermouth, reinforcing the wine-cask character. A simple Smoky Highball with chilled soda water and a strip of lemon peel highlights the floral and marine side of the spirit at a lower proof.

Best For

• Gifting a serious Islay whisky collector seeking limited or first-edition releases
• Side-by-side tasting sessions comparing wine-cask-finished peated malts
• After-dinner sipping alongside dark chocolate or dried-fruit desserts
• Adding a rare bottle to a curated home whisky library

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Port Charlotte PMC:01 taste like? It delivers bold peat smoke layered with ripe blackberry, plum, dark chocolate, and aged leather, all carried by a richly viscous mouthfeel at cask strength.

How does Port Charlotte PMC:01 compare to Laphroaig Lore? Both are heavily peated Islay single malts, but the PMC:01 distinguishes itself through its Pomerol wine cask maturation, which introduces a pronounced red-fruit and tannic dimension that Laphroaig Lore's multi-cask approach does not emphasize. Lore tends toward deeper maritime and medicinal notes, while the PMC:01 leans into a smoke-meets-Bordeaux character.

Is Port Charlotte PMC:01 good for sipping neat? Yes — its non-chill-filtered, cask-strength profile delivers full texture and flavor intensity that rewards neat sipping, though a few drops of water help unlock the subtler floral and fruit layers.

Where is Port Charlotte PMC:01 made? It is distilled, matured, and bottled at Bruichladdich Distillery on the isle of Islay, Scotland's westernmost whisky-producing region in the Inner Hebrides.

What foods pair well with Port Charlotte PMC:01? Aged Comté or Gruyère cheese complements the smoky sweetness; cured charcuterie like bresaola echoes the leather and dried-fruit notes; dark chocolate truffles mirror the palate's chocolate and plum; smoked salmon highlights the marine undertone; and walnut bread bridges the oak and nut accents on the nose.

What sizes does Port Charlotte PMC:01 come in? The standard release is a 750ml bottle.

Is Port Charlotte PMC:01 worth the price? It positions as a premium, limited-edition expression within the Port Charlotte range — the first-ever Pomerol cask release — making it a collectible bottling that appeals to both drinkers and enthusiasts tracking Bruichladdich's experimental cask program.

Why Port Charlotte PMC:01?

This is the inaugural release of Port Charlotte spirit matured in Pomerol wine casks, giving it a genuinely distinctive place in the distillery's catalog. The combination of 40 PPM peated Concerto barley, four years in first-fill bourbon, and five years in casks from one of Bordeaux's most prestigious appellations produces a layered whisky that bridges two great traditions — Islay smoke and Right Bank winemaking. Non-chill filtration and cask-strength bottling at 54.5% preserve every nuance of that interaction. For Islay devotees seeking something beyond standard bourbon- or sherry-matured expressions, the PMC:01 represents a compelling and uncommon direction for heavily peated malt.