I managed to get my hands on some samples of the Octomore 10 (.1/.2/.3) before the Finest Spirits Festival in February. At the beginning of Advent I present you my findings regarding the 10.2 which is – unfortunately – only available to the travel retail. As mentioned in an earlier post this Octomore batch has – in Octomore terms – quite few phenol in it, this one has just 96,9ppm of phenol! This particular Whisky was matured in ex-bourbon casks for four years, then put for another four years into Sauternes casks. You can see the influence of this cask in the colour of this Whisky which is darker than his brothers. Before I dive into my tasting notes here a statement from the website of Bruichladdich.
Forget about whisky. Forget about the Octomore you thought you knew. This series will destabilise even the most devout aficionado. Complex, layered, and endlessly alluring… with instinct over obsession.
Bruichladdich
Well right after I poured a dram into my glass the room rigged of peat (that’s something good, just in case I’m not clear enough about that). So that’s that. Less ppm of phenol doesn’t necessarily mean less peat. I mean, it means LESS peat, but sometimes less peat means more peat. But before I start getting too confused, I’ll continue with my tasting notes!
The Octomore 10.2 Facts
- Travel Retail Exclusive
- 96,9 ppm
- Optic & Oxbridge Barley (100% Islay)
- 1st fill ex-bourbon casks for 4 years
- sauternes wine casks for another 4 years
- 56,9% abv, n.c.f./n.c.a.
- 24.000 bottles world wide
The Octomore 10.2 Tasting notes
The colour of this Whisky is light amber. As I mentioned above, there is lots of peat in the room, but you can still smell some chocolate and toffee, some iodine and some seaweed. If you add a splash of water I smelled some more seaweed. On the palate was – you guessed it right – peat, but not too much. Also some spices and toffee! Adding some water doesn’t bring out much more, IMHO. The finish was long and warm, very nice! The extra water doesn’t change that!
The Octomore 10.2 Verdict
A very fine dram! Maybe not your typical Octomore, but Bruichladdich never did a typical Ocotomore, IMHO. They all (at least the ones I tasted) were similar yet different. I’m looking forward to the other three as well as the X4+10 (I already found a Whisky lover who is willing to share his bottle with me and others)!
That Whisky Guy 