Thursday 10 March 2016

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3 Islay Barley Review

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3 Islay Barley 2010 - 63.0% alcohol

This is the second Octomore in the Islay Barley series.  The first one, the 6.3, was an absolute shocker by the numbers... 258 ppm phenol and 64% alcohol.  I thought it was brilliant for its power but also for its fantastic mix of citrus fruit flavours and richer smoked barley flavours.

This one is a bit different. It is a marriage of american oak casks and spanish wine casks and the intensity of the peat, 169 ppm phenol, is less than the last one. There is another thing a bit special about this one - I believe it is the last Octomore that Jim McEwan was responsible for prior to retiring.  Let's see what its got.

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Colour: 14 carat gold.  Definitely a bit different than typical Octomore's which tend to be more straw coloured.

Nose: On the nose, there is smoke there but less than you would think. What jumps out at me more so is a real sweetness. Its like smoked honey in a background of sea spray. The power is there for sure. I get some iodine. I get smoke. I get stewed peaches and apricots. There is a dryness on the nose that reminds me of red berry fruits. A little air gets a real smoked barley note to rise up. 

A little water really softens the nose. It also brings out some more of the berry fruit scents.

Note: if you ever go to Bruichladdich distillery, they have bins with barley that will go to make each different brand of spirit - Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte, and Octomore - be sure to smell and taste these things because it will help you understand flavours in the whisky.

Palate: the palate is huge. A load of sweetness up front. This is Octomore for sure but leading with sweetness first and then blowing across the palate like a bush fire. With a second sip, its lighter in profile than other Octomore versions but it still has the thick texture. 

Its sweet almost like the 4.2 Comus but it moves into a drier fruitier flavour profile reminiscent of red wine. It dries near the back palate like red wine as well. I get berry fruit. I get apricot. I get lots of pepper mid-palate. I get smoke, of course. I get smoked barley. I get a crisp saltiness. 

A little water tames the beast a little and brings out a big whack of salt - really reminds me of sea water - along with the same sweetness. The water also brings out a lot of the lighter red wine flavours.

Finish: drying and warms the back of the neck and the Adam's apple. Dying embers of a fire. 

Comments: This is an Octomore like I haven't had before. Its unique in that it brings forward a red wine character that you would never expect in a whisky of such huge numbers. Many will compare it to 6.3. I would say get both and experience two different takes on Islay Barley but note the big fruit flavours that come through in these carefully made whiskies. Drink this on a cold day, preferably a wet one, and have it before you drink the other Octomores to finish off your night.