Bruichladdich Octomore 10 2nd Edition
Region: Islay
ABV: 57.3%
E150: No
Chill-filtered: No
Cask Type: Fresh Bourbon and Grenache Blanc casks
Colour: Light Copper
Nose: Raspberry, acetone, caramel, vanilla, apricot, cherry syrup, ash
Palate: Caramel, salt, peanut, chocolate, vanilla, clove, pepper, oily
Finish: Medium+ finish, cherry syrup, mineral, earthy, pepper, smoke
Score: 86/100
Oldest Octomore? Here it is, aged in first-fill ex-bourbon, and Grenache Blanc cask (probably from Rhone?). I find with Octomore, the ppm count doesn’t really mean much, as the ppm is measured before distillation, and the final product always seem to be a lot less peaty than the number suggests, and it really shows here.
The nose is really rich and oily, full of vanilla, stone fruits, red fruits, and of course, ashy peat. It’s a lot mellower than normal Octomore, but it’s less brash than some of the similarly aged cask strength offerings from Ardbeg, or Caol Ila.
The palate is rather smooth, but not without a kick of alcohol, full of sweet vanilla, caramel, peanuts, chocolate, saltiness and spiciness. The finish lingers with earthy peat smoke, cherry syrup, and peppery spiciness.
I rather enjoyed this, I will judge it like it’s a blind tasting, which the name Octomore doesn’t matter here, a nice bit of complexity despite some rough edges, worth trying a dram. As an Octomore however, I much prefer the more youthful releases.