Review #750 - Bruichladdich Port Charlotte SYC:01 2013
Bruichladdich's Cask Exploration series from their Port Charlotte Heavily Peated line now has quite a few members: SC:01 2012 (Sauternes casks), PMC:01 2013 (Pomerol wine casks), OLC:01 2010 (Oloroso sherry casks), PAC:01 2011 (Pauillac wine casks), MRC:01 2010 (Mouton Rothschild wine casks), MC:01 2009 (Marsala casks), and now this SYC:01 2013 (Syrah wine casks). These single malts generally undergo an initial maturation in more traditional casks before the chosen finishing cask adds a heavy influence.
For this SYC:01, the 2013-distilled whisky, which uses barley peated to a level of 40ppm, first spent about 5 years in a combination of first fill (75%) and second fill (25%) ex-bourbon casks. Then, in 2018, the whisky was transferred into first fill Syrah wine casks, specifically casks made with European oak. Bruichladdich suggests that this will bring a combination of red fruits from the wine and spice from the oak.
This Port Charlotte was bottled at 10 years old at a strength of 54.4% ABV in 2024, and as always with Bruichladdich products, this is not chill filtered and contains no added color.
Bruichladdich Port Charlotte SYC:01 2013
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Price: USD 150 (2025)
Age Statement: 10 Years
Strength: 54.4% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill ex-bourbon, second fill ex-bourbon, and first fill Syrah wine casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled 2013, bottled 2024
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 4 months; bottles at 100%, 90%, and 80% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: A dark complexion with lots of dimensions: caramel and grape juice bring sweetness, mushroom and beef in a red wine reduction brings a savory side, peppery tannic oak brings spice. Soy sauce, tar, creosote... the peat has a medium influence at most. Tons of iodine, charred orange, and wood char, too.
Palate: Both sweet and charred orange, spicy tannic oak, layers of barbecue sauce and red wine - this is packed with flavor. The peat is sweet and fizzy and has a medium strength; charred hot pepper, black pepper, and more creosote add a sharper dimension. Roasted poultry, cherries and cranberries, raspberries... lots of complexity. The mouthfeel is medium-thick.
Finish: The peat softens but stays fizzy, and we get a lot of red fruit - raspberry especially, but then a nice orange sherbet note. Tons of savory flavor like Worcestershire sauce and red meat; charred oak and wood spice notes accent the peat smoke. It's a medium-long finish.
Final Note: This peaty single malt is a true flavor bomb, especially when it comes to the savory part of the flavor spectrum. There's a lot of wood, spice, smoke, and sweetness from red fruit, too, though... tons of complexity. For each flavor we wrote down in our tasting sessions, it felt like we were missing another three. Excellent stuff, this is a bottle we would back up.
Value is just above average because of that higher price point around $150 in the US; we think that, for the level of flavor you get in this bottle, it's definitely worth the purchase.
Our Rating: 8.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.40
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
