Review #21: Port Charlotte 2001/2013, 57.5%, Malts of Scotland, Rioja Hogshead, C# MoS13027, 358 bottles

yet another indication that I'm getting old

This is an almost 12 year old Port Charlotte -- hard to believe that there is such a thing. "Rioja hogshead" seems like a bad idea, but they probably know better than I do.

Very nice salty, greasy, and tarry nose, with some fruit in the background. I really don't know how a nose can be salty, but it's somewhere between seawater and pickled something -- plums, I think. The grease seemed a little mechanical at first, but then veers into pork belly territory. Some bicycle tire and ashes. Plus some cherries -- sour cherries smoked over the flames of a pig riding a bicycle. Some other fruit trying to poke through, but the tarry flaming bicycle pig stops them. Palate is rich and oily, with some green fruit, wet rocks, and interesting barrel spices coming in on top of everything else. Super ashy finish, balanced by sweet and salty red fruit. Very very long.

It's hard to imagine a young whisky being much better than this. I'll have to start drinking some crap so that my scores don't seem so high. (Or not.) Maybe these flavors got me in just the right mood, but they're awfully good right now.

score: 90