Bruichladdich 10 Year Port Charlotte Islay Single Malt

Port Charlotte 10 is Bruichladdich's heavily peated Islay single malt, bottled at 50% ABV. It is non-chill-filtered and carries no added colouring, so what you pour is the whisky as it comes out of the cask. It is matured mainly in American whiskey casks, with a portion in second-fill French wine casks. Expect the peat to lead, with a coastal, briny edge underneath. Barley sweetness and citrus usually sit alongside that smoke in this style, and the American oak tends to add vanilla and a softer, rounded sweetness. The wine-cask portion often adds a faint fruit note, though the bottle's details don't specify its exact effect. At 50%, this whisky has more weight than the typical 40–46% bottling. Try it neat first, in a Glencairn. The tulip shape concentrates the smoke and brine, so you can nose it before tasting. Then add a few drops of room-temperature water. At this strength, water often loosens the sweeter barley and citrus notes and softens the alcohol's bite, while the peat stays in place. If you prefer a rocks glass, use one large cube. It melts slowly and dilutes the whisky gradually, whereas small cubes can flatten the smoke quickly. Serve it at cellar or room temperature rather than chilled. Cold mutes the aromatics that make a peated malt interesting. In cocktails, this bottle suits drinks where smoke is a feature. A Penicillin is the obvious fit. Use it as a float over a blended Scotch base, with lemon, honey and ginger. It also works in a Smoky Old Fashioned. Use a small measure of sugar or demerara syrup and a dash of bitters. A peated malt this assertive needs a gentle hand, so keep the other ingredients simple. A Rob Roy, which is a Manhattan made with Scotch, can handle it. Sweet vermouth and bitters tame the smoke without erasing it. For a highball, pour over plenty of ice and top with soda. A ratio of one part whisky to three parts soda keeps the peat present without overwhelming the glass. A Whiskey Sour is possible, but the smoke can compete with the lemon, so a blended or unpeated whisky usually suits that drink better. For food, the briny, smoky character pairs naturally with oysters, smoked salmon, and blue or washed-rind cheeses. Dark chocolate with a little sea salt is another good match for the barley sweetness.