Port Charlotte PC5 Redux (Rock’ndaal 2026 Limited Release) & Halcyon Spirits Bruichladdich 18yo Cask #1627

Port Charlotte PC5 Redux (Rock’ndaal 2026 Limited Release)

Region: Islay

ABV: 63.5%

Price: £75.00

Released for Bruichladdich’s Rock’ndaal 2026 festival day during Fèis Ìle, this five year old Port Charlotte pays homage to the original PC5, the first whisky released by Bruichladdich after the distillery reopened. Matured in American oak casks and bottled at cask strength. Limited to 2,500 bottles.

Nose

The nose is a little tight initially, but with patience notes of brioche rolls, generous peat smoke, green apples, vanilla, and limoncello all appear. The alcohol spice is definitely noticeable and tickles our nose hairs. On the plus side, it doesn’t nose like it’s five year old whisky. 

Palate

Standard bourbon cask notes of vanilla, lemon and honey are mixed with a good hit of peat, although less than we were expecting, before a yeasty new make character takes over. Before it ends, a hit of far too much cracked black pepper spice appears and dominates the finish. The mouthfeel is good.

Nose (with water)

Water has brought out a touch more smoke while accentuating the buttery brioche note. It’s still a little too spicy for our liking, but overall is not wildly different.

Palate (with water)

Water has reduced that yeasty new make note somewhat, along with the spice, but the trade-off is that you lose a fair amount of the peat. The good news is that the mouthfeel has held up well to dilution.

Conclusion

There’s probably an optimal amount of water you could add to this to tame the new make character on the palate without causing most of the peat to disappear, but we’re not ones to spend that much time faffing about. Not one for us personally.

Score: 5.5/10

Value

Price-wise, this is one of the more reasonably priced Fèis Ìle releases, although it still feels expensive for a five-year-old.

Halcyon Spirits Bruichladdich 18yo Cask #1627

Region: Islay

ABV: 57.3%

Price: £195.00 

Distilled on the 9th June 2008 and bottled on the 9th June 2026 after 18 years of maturation, this Bruichladdich bottling was finished for three years in a fresh Oloroso sherry hogshead. Outturn of 185 bottles.

Nose

We’re happy to say that the sherry finish hasn’t overwhelmed the lactic Bruichladdich spirit, well, at least not on the nose. Red cola, wood shavings, caramel sauce and cold butter sit alongside that classic Laddie character. Cashew nuts, dried earth and icing sugar also appear, along with a hint of menthol. The only slight downside is that the alcohol spice is more noticeable than we’d like.

Palate

The Laddie character is less noticeable on the palate. The mouthfeel is good, with a touch of coastal character. Heavy honey, raisins, coffee and dried wood dominate. It’s a touch spicy on the good-length finish. It’s drier than we were expecting, with the sherry influence more pronounced on the palate. Overall, it’s a bit simple, but tasty.

Nose (with water)

Water has brought out more alcohol spice and dimmed the Laddie character. We’re now getting sultanas, pomegranates and more red fruits in general. It’s very fruit-forward now.

Palate (with water)

The palate has a hint of peat (ash). That honey note is now even more dominant. It’s also less dry, with a little more icing sugar and burnt brown sugar sweetness coming through. The mouthfeel has held up well. The finish is a good length and has a nice balance of sweetness and spice. Again, it’s still very sherry-forward.

Conclusion

It drinks younger than its age suggests. We also can’t help but wonder whether the sherry finish has detracted some of the drams complexity. Saying that all things considered it is still a tasty drop.

Score: 7/10

Value

The pricing is broadly in line with other independent Bruichladdich releases of a similar age.

• 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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