Bruichladdich Octomore 17.3 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

In the words of Master Distiller Adam Hannet, "you do not get a higher-provenance whisky than this." The 5 year old edition 17.3 is made from Concerto barley grown in Irene’s Field on Octomore Farm, roughly two miles from the distillery. It's also the peatiest of the 17s, weighing in at 132.1 PPM. Maturation spreads across five cask types, first-fill bourbon alongside Ribera del Duero, Sauternes, Eiswein and Syrah, landing the profile (slightly) closer to salted caramel and orchard fruit than the high PPM figure might suggest. Notes from Bruichladdich describe sweet first-fill oak, orchard fruit and honey layered under muscular campfire smoke, praline and vanilla filling the middle. The finish is long, deep and smoky, sweetness and peat holding together to the end. Besides the provenance and unusual cask regime, this will likely be first choice for collectors chasing the highest PPM. 60.9% Alc./Vol. Non-chill filtered.

Other reviews... "Irene's Field" has provided excellent barley here, which truly stands out from the other two. As is often the case with the "Punk Three" edition, I miss the round, red fruitiness of the .2. But it's a high-quality whisky with fruit and creamy sweetness this time. The youthfulness does show in the finish, though. Wouldn't it be time to gradually bring Octomore's core range up to the standard 7-9 years? - whiskybase.com