Distillery Info
This Port Charlotte 2012 is part of our Islay barley story, which began with a single farmer in 2004. Our barley initiative has now developed into a rhythm, with an average of 18 different farms growing for us annually. With each harvest, our farming community gains yet more knowledge of what it takes to grow in these challenging conditions.
Each edition of Islay barley released from our warehouses, is a testament to our care and attention paid to the provenance of our products. We will never scour the globe for the cheapest grain, with the highest yield. To us, barley is the essence of single malt whisky, a living expression of the locality and the personalities that nurtured it.
In 2004, backing our drive for the ultimate “Islay” Islay single malt, farmer Raymond Stewart grew barley for us at Kentraw, just a mile from the distillery. His harvest was then malted and distilled separately – we believe the first time ever an Islay single malt had been made exclusively from 100% Islay grown grain.
This high provenance, heavily-peated single malt was distilled from Islay-grown barley in 2012. A total of eight Islay farms came together to harvest the 2011 crop for Port Charlotte over a tempestuous summer. Each farmer had worked with us before, in Hunter Jackson, Ian Torrance, Ian MacKerrel, Raymond Fletcher, Mark French, Alistair Torrance, Raymond Stewart with father and son team Donald and Andrew Jones. Our community’s commitment to Islay is embodied here, where local barley is raised, distilled, matured and bottled only on Islay. Distillery Notes
