Boundary-pushing Scotch distillery Bruichladdich is launching a new installment in its experimental Octomore series, working with barley grown in the local region and exploring variations in cask type and peat levels.
The new Octomore 15 series includes a trio of Scotches that nod to the intense peat notes that people expect from an Islay whisky, with the Octomore 15.3 being an extremely peaty spirit, while the Octomore 15.1 and 15.2 expressions are more moderate in smokiness and made use of ex bourbon casks and Cognac casks.
“Octomore is an experiment,” said Head Distiller, Adam Hannett. “It is purposely designed to spark intrigue and prove the unimaginable. Based on liquid profile alone this should be a one dimensional, overly-peated Islay single malt Scotch whisky with no depth – but we’ve created the opposite.”
“This is a whisky which is layered and complex, there’s nothing else like it. Creating a brand new Octomore series each year is a welcomed challenge. It is a moment to pause, reflect, question, and push our boundaries of whisky making. Who knows what will come next.”
All three expressions have high abvs or 59.1%, 57.9%, and 61.3% respectively, carrying heavy flavors of the Scottish barley used in their production. The 15.3 expression also has an enormously high 307.2 phenol parts per million (PPM), which is a measurement of the influence of peat on the whisky.
“Our Islay barley works exceptionally well with high phenol levels, and Octomore 15.3 balances intense peat smoke with our cereal forward, malt-sugar spirit,” said Hannett. “Contrary to popular belief, we’re not looking to intentionally create the most super-heavily peated single malt whisky in the world, but rather create an extraordinary dram which demonstrates the perfect alchemy of peat, maturation, barley varietal and cask type. And that’s Octomore 15.3 for me.”
