What we’re drinking: Octomore 16, an annual super peaty single malt Scotch series from Bruichladdich Distillery
Where it’s from: Established in 1881 and relaunched in 2001 after a seven-year closure, the B Corp-certified Bruichladdich is an Islay-based distillery home to four unique brands: Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte, The Botanist Gin and Octomore.
Why we’re drinking these: I call the annual Octomore release “the best time of year for Scotch drinkers,” but after several years, I should clarify this statement. It’s actually the best time of year for fans of peated Scotch, as Octomore bills itself as the world’s most heavily-peated Scotch series.
“We call Octomore ‘the impossible equation,’” says Adam Hannett, Bruichladdich’s head distiller and master blender. “It’s very young, it’s very strong and it’s very peaty. It shouldn’t work. It really challenges your perception of whisky.”
While Octomore was first distilled in 2002 and is now in its 16th edition, Hannett says they start from scratch every year, exploring different PPMs (that’s phenol parts per million), cask maturations and even where the barley is grown. Surprisingly, given that Octomore’s peatiness is seemingly extreme (other peat-heavy Scotch brands like Ardbeg usually come in around 40 to 50 PPM, while Octomore has a minimum of 80 PPM but it’s usually a lot more), these are rather soft on the palate. “The numbers would leave us to believe that this is all about smoke, but actually you’ll notice Octomore 16.1 can be gentle, sweet and elegant,” Hannett says. “That high strength isn’t aggressive.”
Let’s take a few sips.
Octomore 15 Is Redefining What “Heavily Peated” Really Means
The annual single malt releases from Bruichladdich find balance in contradictionsHow they taste: All the Octomore 16 releases were aged for five years, non-chill-filtered and brought to strength using water from Octomore Spring in Islay.
- Octomore 16.1 (59.3% ABV, 101.4 PPM): Utilizing Scottish mainland barley and aged in first-fill bourbon barrels, this is the standout. It’s soft on the palate and full of vanilla, almond, toffee, orchard fruits, red apple and pears. There’s also a saltiness and the smoke is sweet — it’s like a beach bonfire.
- Octomore 16.2 (58.1% ABV, 101.44 PPM): Also featuring a mash bill of 100% Scottish mainland barley, this one was aged in a combination of ex-Oloroso sherry, Bordeaux, Madeira and moscatel casks. Given that maturation, it’s no surprise the flavor here is dominated by raisins, dates and figs with a nuttiness and a soft wood smoke.
- Octomore 16.3 (61.6% ABV, 189.5 PPM): The barley here was sourced from the local Octomore farm. Aged in ex-bourbon, Sauternes and Pedro Ximénez casks, you’ll find some floral notes, citrus (think lemon zest) and a nice salinity along with the smoke.
Fun fact: There’s actually a fourth expression in the Octomore 16 series (16.4) that will be an e-commerce exclusive released in early November. Aged in second-fill bourbon casks for five years before a second maturation in virgin French oak casks, 16.4 was distilled from 100% Scottish mainland Concerto barley. It comes in a whopping 62.6% ABV and 189.5 PPM and supposedly offers notes of “subtle, earthy undercurrent, toasted oak, roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate and a hint of sweet smoke.” I hope to try this one soon (hint, hint, Bruichladdich).
Where to buy: Octomore Series 16, including 16.1, 16.2 and 16.3, is available to purchase online at bruichladdich.com and in specialist whisky retailers starting Sept. 2, with prices starting at $205. The online-exclusive 16.4 (price TBD) will be available to buy on November 4.
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