With a name like the Peat Project, there’s no ambiguity about what you’re going to get. This Port Charlotte variant is a bit misleading in that it’s not a Port Charlotte scotch (the actual Port Charlotte distillery closed in 2009), but part of the Port Charlotte line of offerings from Bruichladdich. The main Bruichladdich whisky is predominantly floral for an Islay and not peated. Port Charlotte is where the peat happens, including their super-peated Octomore.
The Scapa distillery is one of the most northern distilleries in Scotland, located in the Orkney islands. It is also one of the smallest, with only three staff on site (the manager operates out of Speyside, and the distillery itself is part of the Chivas Brothers branch of Pernod Ricard). Sadly, the small staffing means the distillery is closed to the public. The distillery used to be larger and produce several different offerings. Currently, all production goes into making the Scapa 16 that was launched in 2009. What kind of spirit is produced in a land where it is almost always ever-day or ever-night?
Located just north of Inverness, Clynelish has been operating at its current location for almost 50 years. Curiously, the distillery provides a great deal of the spirit that is used in Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve and only has two commercial products, a Distiller’s Edition and this 14 year offering (there is a “distillery only” bottle available on sight that is cask strength). With such a narrow single malt offering and so much of their output going to blended use, what sort of exploration will this highland malt offer?