What is a Blood Tub?
As part of the reopening, Bruichladdich offered a special promotion in 2001 and 2002 featuring a limited number of very special small casks, referred to as Blood Tubs. Priced at £195, these 32-litre casks were available to be filled with Port Charlotte new make, some owners instead chose the unpeated Bruichladdich spirit instead. The casks sold out quickly, and while the total number sold remains unclear, the majority of owners opted for Port Charlotte new make.
Although small by normal standards, these casks were stored in the old Loch Indaal Distillery warehouse in Port Charlotte. Some of the casks were leaking, so by 2004 the first cask owners decided to bottle their whisky. The tiny cask size led to hyper-accelerated maturation and, in many cases, remarkable whisky at a very young age.
Why these bottles matter
Before the era of Whiskybase, I relied heavily on Whiskyfun for guidance. Notably, Serge’s top-rated Port Charlottes include two privately bottled Blood Tubs, one by Gordon Homer and one by Alan Robinson, both awarded 94 points. Intrigued by the tasting notes, the extremely low number of bottles, and the excellent reviews, particularly given the very young age at which the casks were bottled, I went on a hunt.
It took me years until I was finally able to taste a sample, and it definitely lived up to the hype. Over time I developed a deep love for these casks and their unique style. As my collection and the number of bottles I tasted slowly grew, it also became increasingly difficult to find more information. This page is meant to bring that scattered information together in one place.
As of April 2024, I had gathered information on 31 Port Charlotte Blood Tubs, but I am quite sure there are more undiscovered casks out there. If you see cask numbers 36, 37, 38 and 40, it suggests that cask 39 is likely still out there somewhere, waiting to be found.
