Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Bruichladdich Distillery Unveils its New Octomore Scotch Whisky Series

Jonah Flicker
By

Bruichladdich is a modern distillery using old equipment that tends to do things a bit differently than its contemporaries. It’s located on Islay, an island just off Scotland’s west coast that is known for its big, peaty single malts. The eponymous core whisky from Bruichladdich is actually unpeated, with some expressions in this range really focusing on the concept of terroir by using barley from a single farm, or only from Islay itself. The Port Charlotte range, though, is heavily peated, sort of an homage to what people have come to expect from Islay whisky. But the annual Octomore series, now in its tenth edition, is where the distillery really gets a chance to experiment with terroir, cask type, age, and peat levels.

Octomore 10s Lineup 2019
Octomore

The new Octomore 10s series may not reach the lofty 300-plus PPM peat level of releases past, but that’s not the point here. As head distiller Adam Hannett put it, Bruichladdich has moved on from releasing “peat monsters” in the Octomore range to toying with the “impossible equation” of making whisky that shouldn’t work based on its age, strength, and still aggressive peat levels.

Recommended Videos

According to Hannett, the peat level of Octomore is not the end goal. Instead, it’s essentially dictated by nature — if the whisky is distilled on a windy day, it will be less peaty because of the smoke being blown around, while a calm day would produce a more heavily peated whisky. There are four Octomore expressions, and each one generally captures one particular element: .1 is the control, .2 explores different cask maturation, .3 uses barley from a single farm, and .4 is sort of the outlier.

Related

This year’s Octomore lineup is as follows:

  • 10.1 was aged for five years in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 59.8% alcohol by volume with a PPM of 107. Despite that high number, the smoke is not overly aggressive, with sweet vanilla flavors shining through on the palate.
  • 10.2 is eight years old and it was matured for four years in American oak, then another four in Sauternes casks. It’s bottled at 56.9% ABV and 96.9 PPM, and this expression is only available at global travel retail. The wine cask influence shines through in dried fruit and cherry notes that pop amidst the smoke.
  • 10.3 is a six-year-old whisky distilled from barley grown by Islay farmer James Brown, bottled at a high 61.3% ABV and 114 PPM. There is more spice here than in 10.1, with a bit of menthol and brine and a richer mouthfeel.

Finally, 10.4 is the oddest of the bunch, a three-year-old whisky aged in heavily toasted French virgin oak casks, bottled at 63.5% ABV and 88 PPM. According to Hannett, this one was intended to be a bit of a provocateur and a conversation starter. Indeed it is, with a deep, dark color and a flavor that recalls the American single malt category. The nose has some balsa wood, while the palate pops with raisin, caramel, and a more subtle smokiness. 10.4 won’t be released until January 2020.

Octomore 10.1 – 10.3 are available now for the following SRP: 10.1 ($190), 10.2 ($211 at global travel retail), 10.3 ($250). Octomore 10.4 will be available in January for an SRP of $235.

Editors' Recommendations

Jonah Flicker
Jonah Flicker
Jonah Flicker is a freelance writer who covers booze, travel, food, and lifestyle. His work has appeared in a variety of…
Chivas Releases Extra 13 Collection Scotch Whiskies
Whiskey in a glass

It appears that the new Scotch Whisky Association rules allowing Scotch to be finished in a larger variety of cask types has been a welcome boon to the industry, which has been taking advantage of this new way to innovate. Just last month, Dewar's launched Ilegal Smooth, an eight-year-old blended whisky finished in Ilegal Mezcal casks.

And now Chivas, owned by drinks company Pernod Ricard, has followed suit with its Chivas Extra 13 collection, a series of 13-year-old blends that are finished in different types of barrels. The new lineup consists of the following expressions: Chivas Extra 13 Oloroso Sherry Cask, Chivas Extra 13 Rum Cask, Chivas Extra 13 American Rye Cask, and Chivas Extra 13 Tequila Cask.

Read more
Dewar’s Launches New Scotch Finished in Mezcal Casks
dewars ilegal smooth mezcal barrel aged scotch

Dewar's has long touted the fact that its whisky is "double aged." This means that, after initial maturation, the whisky is blended and then goes back into barrels again for about six months to allow the flavors to marry. But recently the storied brand has been trying out some additional maturation processes. Last fall, Dewar's launched a cask-finished expression of its whisky called Caribbean Smooth, an eight-year-old blend that was finished in rum barrels (which are at the ready in large supplies, considering the brand is owned by Bacardi). Next month, a new cask-finished blend will hit shelves called Ilegal Smooth.

This time, the eight-year-old blend is finished in Ilegal Mezcal casks (Bacardi owns a minority stake in Ilegal). While you might assume this would bring a great deal of smoke to the palate, it's really only a wisp that curls around other flavors like caramel, butterscotch, and bright citrus. Overall, this is a nice sipping whisky that would also work quite well in a simple drink like a highball.

Read more
Here’s to the New Year: 20-Year-Old Whiskies to Drink in 2022
Whiskey in a glass

2020 is barely a month old, so it's a good time to consider some 20-year-old whiskies to drink in this first year of the new decade. Of course, many of these happen to be single malt Scotch, and for good reason. In general, you can age a whiskey for much longer in the temperate climate of Scotland than you could in Kentucky, with its extreme seasonal temperature swings, and still have it come out tasting good. This is because hot summers and cold winters force the liquid to interact with the barrel more, resulting in a whiskey that may become overly oaky and tannic over time. For this reason, most Kentucky bourbon is released below the 10-year mark, while the benchmark age for single malt is usually 10 to 12 years. There are some exceptions, of course, and these can be quite good if appropriate attention is paid to the barrels as they age. Here are ten whiskeys aged for two decades to try now -- provided you can find and afford them. (As a general note, the age statement refers to the youngest whiskey in the bottle, so there may be older liquid included as well).
Deanston 20 Year Old Oloroso

Deanston is a sometimes overlooked Highlands distillery that has an excellent range of single malts, including some organic expressions and this limited release 20YO. The whisky was matured in Oloroso sherry casks for two decades, and bottled at cask strength without color added or chill-filtration. There are notes of dried fruit and vanilla on the palate, followed by a hint of baking spice and prune.
BenRiach 20

Read more