Bruichladdich Octomore 16.1 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Other reviews... 5 years old, as noted, bourbon-barreled in 100% first-fill barrels; peated to 101.4 ppm of phenols — quite low for the series. 100% Scottish Concerto barley. This is one of the most immediately engaging “.1” Octomore releases I’ve encountered in a while, and it hits the nose with a freshness that can be lacking in the bourbon-exclusive version of Octomore. Sweet and fruity, there’s a strong tropical bent on the nose that makes for a nice companion to the lacing of peat smoke, ringed with tobacco-adjacent greenery notes. The palate keeps the theme going, here the fruit veering more to apricot and peach notes, later segueing into almond and honey. The peat is fairly light-handed here but always waiting in the wings. When the fruity sweetness fades a bit, it roars to life with a gravelly punch evoking turned earth more than beach bonfire this year, which ultimately threatens to overpower the milk chocolate notes that arrive on the finish. 118.6 proof.  - drinkhacker.com

...I expected a mediocre whisky for a lot of money, which doesn't match the quality, but instead I received a very decent whisky, traditionally with plenty of smoke, sweet yellow fruit in the form of apples, apricots, and juicy peaches. The finish is very pleasant, with a campfire and a hint of chocolate and fresh mint. If I find it at a good price somewhere, I'll gladly buy it. - whiskybase.com

101.4ppm peat, which is almost nothing really. I mean, for Octomore’s malt, which can apparently reach 300ppm or so. The barley itself was harvested in 2018, then distilled in 2019. Never forget the dormancy period of barley, during which freshly harvested grains don’t germinate straight away, it can last several months. Naturally, no germination means no malting. Colour: straw. Nose: precisely the feeling of burying one’s nose in a full ashtray at an open-air nightclub on the Côte d’Azur, around four in the morning. Then the smell of a spent fireplace in which mostly coniferous wood had been burnt. In the background, just a faint whiff of slightly sour beer. With water: apples and almond milk emerge, accompanied by a touch of brine. Mouth (neat): very powerful, it does burn a fair bit, but it also recalls high-ester Hampden, something like <DOK. One of these days we ought to do a proper and methodical comparison. With water: someone seems to have smoked brine and added sour apple juice. Finish: very long, very nervous, with a kind of ultra-concentrated fino sherry character. Ashes and black pepper rule the aftertaste. Comments: a bit like sea water after a phantom Russian tanker has passed by, feels rather more extreme than last year’s ‘15.1’. 87 points - whiskyfun.com