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Image by Words of Whisky
If you're a fan of peated whiskies, you may be familiar with Octomore, the heavily smoked whisky made in Bruichladdich distillery in Islay. We nicknamed it the "Peat Titan" for its high smokiness level.
Humans can detect phenol parts per million (ppm) up to 80 with their taste buds. Most heavily peated whiskies have a ppm of between 25-50, but Octomore is on a mission to produce whiskies with a minimum of 100ppm. Their record-breaking whisky has a ppm of 309, which is quite an overkill. However, the phenol number only indicates the level to which the barley has been peated and not how high it is in the bottled whisky. The level will decrease during maturation, and the more peat there is, the quicker it wants to escape.
Bruichladdich distillery has been producing whisky since 1881 and is currently owned by Remy Cointreau, who acquired it in 2012. In 2002, Bruichladdich started distilling their experimental heavily peated whisky - Octomore. The first release was launched in 2008. The whisky is not only smoky but also bottled at around 60% ABV.
The malted barley used in Octomore is cold-smoked for five days, which results in a bold and dominant smokiness. Most Octomore whiskies are bottled between five to seven years old. Drinking Octomore requires a particular taste, and it's not recommended for novice whisky drinkers. It may put them off whisky altogether. However, for peat enthusiasts who haven't tried it, we highly recommend it for fun times with friends - in moderation.
We've curated a list of all the Octomore bottlings for you to explore. Enjoy!
Octomore Releases
All images by The Whisky Ardvark
Simplified List of Octomore Bottlings
1.1 Scottish Barley, 131ppm, 63.5%, 5YO
02.1 Scottish Barley, 140ppm, 62.5%, 5YO
02.2 Orpheus, Scottish Barley, 140ppm, (Bordeaux Wine), 61%, 5YO
03.1 Scottish Barley, 152ppm, 59%, 5YO
04.1 Scottish Barley, 167ppm, 62.5%, 5YO
04.2 Comus, Islay Barley, 167ppm, (Sauternes Cask), 61%, 5YO
05.1 Scottish Barley, 169ppm, 59.5%, 5YO
06.1 Scottish Barley, 167ppm, 57%, 5YO
06.2 Scottish Barley, 167ppm, 58.2%, 5YO, TREx
06.3 Islay Barley, 258ppm, 64%, 5YO
07.1 Scottish Barley, 208ppm, 59.5%, 5YO
07.2 Scottish Barley, 208ppm, 58.5%, 5YO, TREx
07.3 Islay Barley, 169ppm, 63%, 5YO
07.4 Virgin Oak, Scottish Barley, 167ppm, 61.2%, 7YO
08.1 Masterclass, Scottish Barley, 167ppm, 59.3%, 8YO
08.2 Masterclass, Scottish Barley, 167ppm, 58.4%, 8YO (3 Wine Casks), TREx
08.3 Masterclass, Islay Barley, 309ppm, 61.2%, 5YO, (4 Wine Casks)
08.4 Masterclass, Virgin Oak, Scottish Barley, 170ppm, 58.7%, 8YO
09.1 Dialogos, 156ppm, 59.1%, 5YO
09.2 Dialogos, 156ppm, 58.2%, 5YO, TREx
09.3 Dialogos, 133ppm, 62.9%, 5YO
10 YEARS Scottish Barley, 167ppm, 57.3%, (Grenache Blanc Cask)
10 YEARS Scottish Barley, 80.5ppm, 50%
OBA Concept CC:01, Undisclosed ppm, 59.7%, 5YO (Sauternes Cask)
10 YEARS Dialogos, 167ppm, 56.8%, 2008 Vintage
X4+10, Concept 0.2, 162ppm, 70%, (Sweet Wine & Sherry Casks)
11.1 Scottish Barley, 139.6ppm, 59.4%, 5YO
11.2 Scottish Barley, 139.6ppm, 58.6%, 5YO
11.3 Islay Barley, 194ppm, 61.7%, 5YO
10 YEARS Virgin Oak Influence, 208ppm, 54.3%
12.1 Scottish Barley, 130.8ppm, 59.9%, 5YO
12.2 Scottish Barley, 129.7ppm, (Sauternes Cask), 57.3%, 5YO
12.3 Islay Barley, 118.1ppm, (PX Cask), 62.1%, 5YO
What's your favourite Octomore? Comment below.
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