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Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 6.1 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Islay, SCOTLAND
$599. 00
Bottle
$7188.00 Dozen
ABV: 57%

Note: Product has come from a private collection and as such has some minor scuffing/scratches/handling marks. Actual product not pictured.

Wholly matured in American oak, 'Octomore' takes its name from a farm two miles away from the distillery (where all of the barley used to create this edition was sourced). In its sixth release, peated to a whopping 167 phenol parts per million - this series remains one of the smokiest efforts on planet earth (Laphroaig and Ardbeg generally weigh in around 40 or 50 ppm) and has garnered a cult following. 

Packaged in something akin to a gothic bowling pin from the year 2060, the visual charisma conveys what's inside - think of this as the whisky equivalent of Pink Floyd when Syd Barret still mattered - whimsical, progressive and 'out there’: Islay in interstellar overdrive. 

Tasting note:  Brilliant deep gold, polished brass colour. Wavers for a minute before a more definitive peat-reek profile of lanolin / wool shed and manure takes centre stage. The walk through the farmyard continues into the second pass which adds jaffa, choc fudge and dense fruit'n'nut chocolate interchanging with dried grass-like notes through the earthy peat. Final inspection finds orange cake and sweet cereals now to the fore while the overall bouquet drops a notch intensity wise. Five years old, 167ppm and cask strength yet so accessible that there's even an ethereal sense of 'lightness' (relatively speaking) that sets this apart from the previous release. The alcohol just gently nips at the tongue as cocoa and vanilla rise through the smoke along with flashes of grassy / grain flavours. Weighty peat slams down to finish. Incredible balance. Ends creamy as hints of cocoa, vanilla and sooty lanolin repeat in the prolonged fade. So easy to drink it should come with a warning label. But is it more than just a peat bomb? Brace yourself for something utterly different in the world of Scotch Whisky. 57% Alc./Vol. 96 points

Other reviews...(91.5 points) (n24), (t23), (f22), (b22.5) - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2014 

...Distilled at Bruichladdich Distillery using only Scottish Barley. Bruichladdich is usually an unpeated brand of single malt but in contrast, at 167ppm, its Octomore alter ego is said to be the world's most heavily peated whisky. Aged 5 years at Bruichladdich’s, this is the sixth edition of Octomore. Appearance: Clear, mid golden amber. Aroma: mouldering embers, vegetal peat, baked apple and smoked streaky bacon. Taste: Honeyed smoky sweetness – strangely reminiscent of mezcal. Vanilla, toasted rye bread, dry nuttiness and poached pear fruitiness with nutmeg and curry leaf spice. Aftertaste: Salty seaweed, streaky bacon and vanilla with lingering oaky nutmeg spice. 4.5 stars - www.diffordsguide.com