Octomore 07.3/169 Islay Barley

Stop number 48 on the SDT, and the last of round three, is Bruichladdich, specifically Octomore. Bruichladdich is an Islay distillery that produces a wide range of products. From their unpeated Bruichladdich line, to the peated Port Charlotte and finally the super heavily peated Octomore. 07.3 is made with 100% locally grown barley, peated to a level of 169 ppm and then matured 5 years in a combination of ex bourbon and Spain red wine casks. Bottled at a whopping 63% ABV, natural color of golden straw with a little peachy color, and non chill filtered. The nose is surprisingly smooth for being such a high ABV. Delicious red wine notes. Light peat smoke (light considering the ppm level and when compared to the likes of Ardbeg, but strong compared to say, Glenmorangie). Warm vanilla, strawberry/peach jam, lemon cakes. Salty sea spray and seaweed. Dry grass/hay, a little medical and ashy. There is a little sweet toffee and it’s a tad floral. A menthol like coolness to it as well. If you add water the fruity notes come through more and you get some charred oak. The smoke is tamed, but not covered up. The high ABV makes itself known on the palate. A hot and spicy arrival followed by a big puff of peat smoke. Ashy, barrel char/oak. Salty/sweet BBQ sauce and black pepper. Some low level grilled fruits like peaches and apricots. A little ginger and honey, slightly floral and some red wine type tannins. Despite it being hot on the tongue, it has a medium bodied mouthfeel. Oily and mouthwatering. Medium length finish, shorter than I expected. Smoky, salty and ashy with a hint of those red wine casks. While this is certainly not a bad scotch in any way, it just didn’t wow me. Those outrageous ppm numbers just don’t translate into more detectable peat/smoke than an Ardbeg or Laphroaig. I suspect the spirit stills may have something to do with that. If the stills over at Bruichladdich are taller or narrower than its south coast brethren, the heavier compounds won’t carry over into the lyne arm, leaving them in the still. Just speculation of course. I suspect it may also suffer from overall youth. At just 5 years old it might not have the time it needed to pull all those wonderful flavors from the wood in which it slumbered. I’d like to try the 10 year old Octomore and compare. Though I will say this, that little 2 oz sample was plenty to get me good and buzzed! Thanks to @Telex the sample. This is somewhere between a 4-4.25 Cheers

In a 239 sq. mile patch of land in Scotland there resides a set of alchemists turning the very dirt they live on into gold. Wizards from the lands of Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Bruichladdich. Each one enchanting an audience that stretches across the world. How barley, water, earth and time spent in barrels can create such a spectrum of flavors and textures is beyond me. If you are a fan of peated whisk(e)y, and because you are here reading this I will assume you are, you have no doubt had many peated drams. There is also little doubt that you don’t have one that you feel is better than every other bottle you have tried. Unseating a champion is hard work but every now and then a spirit comes along that not only challenges the king of your world but also makes you reevaluate every other grade you have given to every other whisk(e)y. This is that bottle. I did not think there could be anything better than some of the best peated scotches I have had. There was no room at the top. This made room. This came crashing down on top and completely readjusted every bottle below it. If you happen across one of these bottles please do not buy it. Send me the link to where you found it so that I may obtain one more bottle. But I understand that greediness creeps into everyone’s life and if you do purchase it without telling me I will forgive you because I know that your whole world is about to make no sense. You will be just as confused as I was and then you will understand my plight of needing to locate and procure every bottle of Octomore 7.3 that you can get your hands on. Slàinte!

Well well well, if it isn’t my favorite peated whisky. Delivered to my doorstep by the grumpiest FedEx man on the planet. Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3 Islay Barley. This one comes in at 169ppm (phenol parts per million). It could, and it should, rock your socks. Thanks to my new brother (from a different mother) Telex for this glorious sample. I absolutely love Octomore. I put that stuff on everything: from breakfast cereal to ice cream sandwiches. There’s nothing in this world that wouldn’t be improved upon by a little spritz of the Octo sauce. This release was no different. In fact, this one goes right near the top for me. All the crazy peat smoke, brine and medicinal notes you expect are there and in full effect. The part that wowed me was the extra sweetness from the wine barrel. It manages to make its presence known through all that crazy peat. And I love it. My love for peated, port barrel finished whisky grows every time I try a new one and this Octomore is the epitome of all that love. It all works so well for me. I don’t want to get into all the crazy tasting notes because, well, this is Octomore. If you’ve tried one you know about what you’re in for. This one just dialed it all up to 11 in my mind. I’d need to have a sample of all of them in front of me before I would ever try to dissect each one. What a glorious day that would be. A gigantic thanks to Jason for ponying up this bottle for our little group to sample. This one took the round for me. 5 triumphant stars! Cheers, my friends.

Thanks to the newest member of our trading team, Jason, I got to sample this one tonight. We're in round 3 of knocking off every active Scottish distillery, with maybe a few more rounds to go. This one is really perplexing. I don't dislike it, but not sure I like it either. It's like Bruichladdich was experimenting, and decided to put this out as "what the heck, it might just work". Have you ever had durian fruit? It's this big aromatic fruit from SE Asia. It's sold at the all the fruit carts in Kuala Lumpur. When it's opened up, it smells like gym socks. But everyone around you is eating it and loving it. So...is it good? Is it just you not liking it, when clearly everyone else is? and when you finally have it, it's a strange one, where you just don't know if you like it. That's what this reminded me of. Having durian in Kuala Lumpur. Ok...so the best part is the nose. ( clearly unlike the durian). Lemon and peat. Clean. Crisp. Then the palette carries through that lemon crisp, with a STRONG peat backbone. But I think I just realized something. Just because it has 169 ppm doesn't mean it's any more depth in peatiness than an Ardbeg or Lag. Ppm is indicative, but not the only metric. So it's at the finish this has its WTF moment. It's strange. Not bad strange, or good strange. Just strange. Like durian. I have no idea what to make if it. Thanks Jason for the experience...and taking me back to my college years backpacking through SE Asia and having durian.

They say you always remember your "first." It was a little over a year ago during a business trip to South Africa. An intentional day-long layover in London was planned with a solitary destination in mind: Milroy’s of Soho. A whisky-lover's Mecca. "I have the palate of an 80 year-old cigar smoker," this Islay girl explained to the gentleman behind the bar. I don't think he believed me at first. We wended our way thru Laphroigs and Bowmores and another Gaelic distiller my Italian ear would surely mangle. When I proved myself capable with those, he made the fated introduction. It was my first Bruichladdich. With a 169 PPM level - almost four times the peat of a regular peated whisky - he explained their Octomore is the most heavily peated in the world. My hopes were high. How could this not be the dram...of my dreams? As per the scant amount remaining in the bottle, this love affair is certainly one I'll always remember... ...and will always return to. Nose: Sweet but not treacly. Vanilla. Caramel. The smoke, I was surprised to discover, is not overwhelming. Palate: Layered. Honey. Then a shot of pepper and black licorice that slowly wraps itself around the tongue. With a blanketing of cool earth soon to follow. Finish: Long. Satisfying. Intense. Just like the most memorable relationships. And that smoke? It burns, to be sure. But in a good way. Finishing off into a smooth linger. A very good finish indeed.

Bruichladdich Masterclass, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, 19 February 2018, Whisky #5 Nose: Very soft laid-back smoke over green apples and sweet lemon. A subtle floral fragrance like vanilla blossoms on a balmy evening. Adding water unlocks the door to a deluge of smoke of varying thickness, oiliness and aroma. While it is a soft nose it is also clearly defined and a delight to explore. Palate: Fruity and oaky, quite a full texture with sharp citrus, waxy peat, anise or fennel, salt-spray and honeysuckle. Some sweet malty cereal and a background of earthy smoke like the smell of a hangi [earth oven] before the food goes in - rich, deep, warm and not the slightest bit acrid. A very agreeable oily texture but also clean and crisp. Adding water turns the smoke up to 11. Finish: A soft, comfortable lingering dryness underpinning endless smoke. A very nice whisky indeed, and much more interesting than the sophomore 7.1 and the awkward 7.2. Despite the daunting abv this is almost (almost!) drinkable neat. I did find that I needed to cool it down to around 50%, at which point it becomes much more complex and subtle. I'd strongly recommend watering it. If you're a fan of Octomore but have not tried this one and you see a bottle I'd recommend buying it while you can. Easily one of the high water marks of this family of expressions. "Outstanding" : 91/100 (5 stars)