Bruichladdich’s Extremely Smoky Octomore Whiskies are Back
There are many who still believe that all scotch whisky is smoky, but in fact the opposite is true—the majority of scotch is unpeated, and therefore not at all smoky. Of course, there are some single malts that are not just smoky, but taste more like burning campfires of blazing peat. The trick, if a distillery is going to do that, is to somehow still make the whisky enjoyable, and once again Bruichladdich’s Octomore series shows how that can be done.
Bruichladdich, which is located on Islay, released its first Octomore whisky in 2008, naming it after the nearby farm from which it gets some of its barley. That first release included whisky peated to a staggering 131 ppm, or parts per million, a measurement of the phenols in the whisky (for reference, Laphroaig, which is known for being a very smoky whisky, clocks in at about 45 ppm). The Series 8 Octomore was even more insane, tripling that number to over 309 ppm for some of its whisky, which begs the question if you can even pick up any other flavors at that astronomical level of smoke.
The whiskies in the Octomore 17 series aren’t quite that extreme, but they are still very smoky nonetheless, and also full of complexity. “Octomore embodies Bruichladdich’s purpose: to create thought-provoking whiskies that challenge industry norms and offer consumers something they cannot get anywhere else,” said master blender Adam Hannett in a statement. “We’ve used traceable, super-heavily peated barley from mainland Scotland and Islay, maturing each expression in a selection of high-quality casks, including bourbon, Sauternes wine, Port wine, Eiswein (ice wine) and Oloroso sherry.”
The series kicks off with 17.1, which, as is usually the case with the first entry, serves as the “reference point” for the other expressions. This single malt was distilled from 100 percent Concerto barley grown on the Scottish mainland and malted to 81 ppm. It was aged solely in first-fill bourbon barrels for five years, and the official tasting notes describe salt, smoke, and sweetness on the palate. 17.2 was made from that same type of barley and malted to the same ppm, but it was aged for four years in second-fill French oak casks previously used to age bourbon, and then finished for a year in first-fill port barriques (this combination is a first for the distillery). Look for notes of pepper, citrus, and berries.
The 17.3 was made from barley grown in Irene’s Field on the aforementioned Octomore Farm. The whisky was aged for five years in first-fill bourbon barrels along with second-fill Ribera del Duero, sauternes, Eiswein, and Syrah casks. This one is a peat monster at 132.1 ppm, but still retains notes of citrus, chocolate, and dark fruit behind all that smoke. For the first time, the fourth entry in the series, 17.4 in this case, is available here in the U.S. and not just as a distillery exclusive. It was malted to 108.2 ppm, aged for seven years in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks, and finished in French virgin oak barrels.
The first three whiskies are available now from specialty retailers, with prices ranging from $205 to $280. 17.4 will be available starting October 1 with a price tag of $250 per bottle.
