Octomore 14.3

Number 2 in the countdown to 300. After a rocky start I am entering 14.3 with a degree of trepidation… wine casks, again! But, second fill. Maybe this one will figure itself out before all hope is lost. I guess I am about to find out. N: Oh, hello. Ever walked along the coast, stony beach underfoot, sea breeze whipping in, warm fresh pastry in hand. I don’t think I ever have (seagulls would have that pastry in seconds). But damn, I’m close to being there in spirit. Vanilla, toasty oak barrels and grist, briny-salty air, and a danish pastry with that little glazed fruit compote in the middle (pear, apple, mango?). There is also a curious waxiness to this nose, and it’s good. The peat here is gentle, restrained and quite floral, but a spectre of sulphur is also there. P: Wow, it’s huge. Cured beef with demerara glaze, oatmeal with rich creamy milk and churned honey. Salted caramel and toffee apples. Tobacco leaf, ash and salt, aniseed and toasted nuts. I may be wrong, but the palate feels simple, approachable, and yet; monstrous. This is poised and authoritative, it knows what it is about. F: Long. cool dry smoke, some menthol, creosote, brine. Black tea, and maybe fresh blackcurrant at the last. Two drops of water, a swirl, and time to rest. The result is wonderful. The nose warms towards BBQ but slightly mutes and waxiness turns oily. The palate loses and gains nothing in flavour, but it extends each flavour drawing wider arcs and bleeding more subtly into one another. The finish melds into a firm powerful teashop affair. I have at this point forgotten that this was a wine cask or a bourbon cask. These elements are clearly present in the nose, that much should be apparent from the notes I have ascertained. But the palate and finish feel driven by the peat and the distillate, which is, to me at least; what it seems Octomores should be striving for. Distiller whisky taste #299 [Pictured here with a lovely ***** of spodumene pegmatite from Pilgongoora in the Pilbara of Western Australia. This pegmatite is ~2.8 billion years old and formed as dykes between 0.5 to 80 m wide, 50-1500 m long and up to 400 m thick, intruding into an ~3.2 billion year old continental rift. These dykes, thanks to their endowment with huge spodumene crystals and platy lepidolite micas, makes them one of the worlds largest hard rock lithium sources; also, really pretty.] Bruichladdich running scores Classic Laddie: 4/5 Bruichladdich 18 re/define: 4.75/5 Black Art 10.1 29 y/o: 5/5 Port Charlotte 10: 4.5/5 Port Charlotte CC:01: 5/5 Octomore 14.1: 4/5 Octomore 14.2: 2.75/5 Octomore 14.3: 4.25/5

Octomore 14 Series Tasting, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 21 February 2024. Whisky #5 Nose: Honey (beeswax?), wine, barley grist, vanilla and rich earthy peat smoke. A dense floral quality (apple blossom?) but there is also a hint of sulphur in the background. Palate: Big, honeyed peat on the arrival veering towards a meaty barbecue type of smoke. Sweet beef jerky. Creamy and buttery in texture and flavour like porridge with butter and salt. Caramel-coated apple and salt-water taffy. It’s a big sweet palate but the sweetness is moderated by salt, pepper and a strong umami presence that gives it heft and authority sufficient to balance the sweetness. Finish: Long. Soft but dry (?) and trailing into savory smoke, brine and diesel oil. This was my favourite whisky of the evening until I tasted the 14.4 which is in a whole different league. This has the sweetness of the 14.2 but here the wine influence is under control and does not overshadow the distillate, which is rich, oily and huge in profile. It also reacts very well to water, the aromas fading just a pinch but the palate gains integration, complexity and accessibility without losing any impact. It's a fine example of a contemporary Octomore and even though it is significantly more expensive than the ".1" and ".2" expressions it it worth the extra cost. “Very Good : 85/100 (4 stars)

Wow - is this a beautiful whisky! The complexity is off the charts. The nose is incredible, with smoke, bacon, fruits, vanilla, tar, bandaids and so many more fruits. I was a bit surprised, though. Super heavy peat, but not the intense ‘smoke’ one might expect. This is a peat monster, not a smoke monster. It’s incredible, and a little more smoke would have made it just about perfect to me, going with the strong sweet and savory notes. The other amazing thing about this one is the addition of water. That transforms it completely! The nose and palate change, and sweetness comes out: orange circus peanuts candy, dryer sheets, citrus, honey, funnel cake, pineapple and the underlying tone of peat and a little bitterness. Less meaty bacon, and the bandaids and iodine fade. This one is an adventure, and definitely NOT a beginner scotch, given high ABV, complexity and peat monster qualities. It is pricey, but definitely worth it. Save it for your friends who can really savor and appreciate it without being scared off, and they’ll be rewarded with one fantastic whisky. Slainte!

Nose: wet dog (in a good way, like finally getting back home after a long walk with your best friend in the pouring rain. Grapefruit/pomelo peel. A touch of smoked meat, slight seaweed and coastal air. Caramel. As you acclimate to the palate, more cereal comes thru. Palate: wonderful. A burst of aggressive peat, smoke, and bright citrus initially. As it opens and as you acclimate: creamy vanilla and effervescent sea breeze come in with remaining bright citrus. Palate: roaring peat fire under a starry sky on the beach. Touches of citrus peel and nice moderate drying oak tannin.

Minimal burn but lingers on the palette the way smoke clings to clothing after a bonfire. Evokes: hot texas BBQ and thick wood fire smoke.

Supprising smooth. Awasome warmth. Very long finish. Not super sweet.