Jim McEwan Signature Collection; 8.2 Port Charlotte 12-year old 1st fill Bourbon barrel

Jim McEwan Signature Collection; 8.2 Port Charlotte 12-year old 1st fill Bourbon barrel

Port Charlotte 8.2

Distilled on 5th June 2011 this whisky spent its whole 12-year life maturing in cask #2124, maturation taking place in a 1st fill Bourbon barrel from an unknown American distillery.

This classic bourbon cask, a favourite of Jim’s – although famous for his passion for wine casks! – give a wonderful stage for the true character of the spirit to shine.

Bottled in January 2024 as Release 8.2 of the Jim McEwan Signature Collection, like all bottlings within the collection, it was bottled un-chill filtered, with no added colour and at natural cask strength of 60.9% (Jim would have it no other way!), it yielded only 175 bottles.

Tasting notes from Jim McEwan MBE

Colour - Golden Yellow/ Harvest Gold

Body - Full, Sturdy and packed with passion!

Aromas - That piquant downright head slapping marine influence intertwines with heather fires and Atlantic rollers all working brilliantly with the toasted oak and the sweetness of malt extract. Encapsulated in a handcrafted spirit and left to mature in an ex-bourbon barrel in a traditional 1881 built warehouse on Islay’s’ west coast.

Palate - The peat smoke, maritime and the sweet cereal flavours arrive like an incoming tide. It’s an amazing combination. Hand crafted by Islanders who have the skills passed down from their fellow Distillers since 1881. The peat smoke, the sweet barley & the American oak, the Atlantic Ocean a stone’s throw from the Distillery play a major part in the flavour of the spirit which has been distilled super slowly, and all the casks spend their time looking after the Angels who frequent the warehouses.

Finish – It’s like an incoming wave that has taken 12 years to reach the shore!