A young Islay, with a bit less peat than the range had in the several releases before but still well above pretty much anything that’s not an Octomore. As with most things they do these days, the transparency about exactly what went into these bottles is much appreciated.
Minutia: Distilled from 100% Scottish Concerto barley, harvested in 2011 and distilled in 2012, peated to 156ppm, matured for 5 years in ex-American whiskey casks for the full term, the breakdown being: 51% Jim Beam, 26% Jack Daniels, 15% Clermont, and 8% Old Grand-Dad. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.
Color: Old gold, .6.
Nose: Smoky, funky. Tough to do but possible to tease out a vague fruitiness in the nose, though it’s competing with a lot of ethanol.
Taste: Toasted nut, fruit (subtle and dark), heat.
Finish: Peaty, smoky punch. Peppery build into fade. Medium-long.
Guess: Octomore 9.1.
Second in a row with a specific and correct guess feels really good. I’m at a bit of an advantage with a vague idea of what’s in the pool, but it still feels good. The nose screamed Bruichladdich distillate right off the bat and the intense finish could only be an Octomore. I didn’t get enough woodiness or non-Bourbon cask influence to be an X.2 or X.3, so it had to be the only X.1 in the pool. This is a strong dram in all senses of the word; it’s of great quality and is a very slow dram. Not only will you get more out of it by really savoring it, it’s hard to drink quickly. Very surprising is how the smoke was moderate in the nose, absent in the taste, and then a monster in the finish. This dram is an experience and tells a story.
Score: 86
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