We're looking at a pair of single cask Port Charlottes, one directly from the distillery and the other from Dramfool.
Port Charlotte 19yo Single cask Feis Ile 2025
Region: Islay
ABV: 53.3%
Price: £275.00
Distilled in 2006 and matured in a second fill Moscatel sherry wine cask, this whisky was bottled in 2025 for Fèis Ìle 2025. A total of 667 bottles were released.
Nose
The nose opens with well integrated smoke, it's soft, creamy, slightly ashy, slightly vegetal. The classic Port Charlotte distillate character is there, yoghurty, slightly sour, but mellow and balanced. We're finding honeycomb, milk chocolate, marzipan, cinnamon and freshly fried doughnuts dusted with brown sugar. Behind this sits a little dried apricot and pineapple, but the dram predominantly shows creamy peat smoke and toffee. The alcohol is also quite well balanced, only the lightest tinge of ginger spice in the background.
Palate
The palate opens with lots of honeycomb, toffee bon bons, milky chocolate, a little brown sugar, ashy, earthy peat smoke and vanilla whipped cream. It lingers on for a good length of time, showing lots of caramel sweetness. The mouthfeel is fairly syrupy, nicely textured, and we're getting some candied lime peel on the second sip, along with a hint of toasted coconut. The alcohol has a little bit of a warm gingery spice kick but there's lots of sweetness that balances this out.
Nose (with water)
The reduced nose is a tad more sour, more yoghurtiness, creamy vanilla, cigarette smoke, alongside runny caramel and a touch of salt. We're also finding marzipan and honeycomb shining through. It hasn't changed too much in our opinion.
Palate (with water)
The reduced palate continues with the honey, mixing in a tad of lemon peel, vanilla cream, marzipan, and soft ashy peat smoke in the background. There's more sourness coming through, that lemon is starting to take centre stage. Interesting with a drop of water but we personally don't think it's needed.
Conclusion
We're suckers for late teens/early twenties Port Charlotte bottlings, and this ticks a lot of boxes for us. The moscatel maturation hasn't overpowered the spirit, it's worked in harmony to accentuate the overall experience. It's not the most complex example of this spirit for us, however it's undeniably tasty and we'd reach for it any day of the week.
Score: 8/10
Value
Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s also sold out.
Dramfool’s Gold Port Charlotte 21yo cask #661
Region: Islay
ABV: 60.5%
Price: £395.00
The second release in Dramfool’s GOLD range is a 21 year old Port Charlotte, distilled on 7th July 2003 and matured in a first-fill Oloroso hogshead. A total of 142 bottles were produced for this release.
Nose
The nose opens with rich toffee, caramel, molasses, raisin fudge, dark chocolate and sugar coated almonds. It has one of the richest aromas from a whisky that we've tried in a long while. There's some well fired bread, dark brown sugar, brandy snaps and honey nut cheerios. We're still able to find the lactic, yoghurty Port Charlotte spirit character shining through even though the sherry cask is taking centre stage. The smoke is right in the background playing a supporting role, the classic vegetal, ashy peat aromas of Port Charlotte still present.
Palate
The palate opens with a viscous, oily, mouth coating texture, and we're greeted with lots of rich toffee, burnt caramel, candied ginger, handfuls of raisins, and a little kick of chili heat. The Port Charlotte character bursts through more on the palate, with the signature vegetal, ashy peat smoke enveloping the mouth, not being shut down by the powerful sherry maturation. The finish takes its time, becoming sweeter, more brown sugar, whipped vanilla cream and hints of honeycomb.
Nose (with water)
The reduced nose loses a bit of the richness, the brown sugar now a bit lighter, the molasses a bit less intense, but overall it's still syrupy and decadent. The water seems to have softened everything in equal measures, there's not much difference balance-wise, and the distillery DNA is still shining through.
Palate (with water)
The reduced palate follows suit with the reduced nose, everything is softer, lighter, but still maintains the heft and weight of the unreduced version. There's a bit more of a sour tinge coming through, it's slightly more lactic, but overall presents the same flavours as before. We'd skip the water personally.
Conclusion
Wow, this is decadent. The nose is deep, rich, luscious, massively sherry forward but maintaining a balance with the distillery spirit character. The palate follows suit, excellent balance, with both the spirit and the cask represented equally. There's so much flavour here, it's really quite incredible. It transforms over time in the mouth, starting rich, finishing sweeter, softer, gentler. One of the best single cask Port Charlotte's we've had.
Score: 9/10
Value
Yes, it’s expensive, but depressingly it’s still cheaper than many other comparable independent bottlings.
- 10 - Perfection. One in a million
- 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
- 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
- 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
- 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
- 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
- 4 - Below average. Passable.
- 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
- 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
- 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.
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