Octomore 10.3 Super-Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70cl

Product Information

Indulge in the Octomore 10.3 6 Year Old Whisky and discover the unrivaled combination of Islay's terroir and stratospheric smoke. Experience the complexity, richness, and depth that make this whisky truly exceptional. Elevate your whisky collection with Octomore 10.3 - a masterpiece that pushes the boundaries and delivers an extraordinary tasting experience. Taste: Barley extract. Shortbread & buttered scones. Sea salt & pepper. Honey. Green apples. Orange juice. Earthy peat and bonfire smoke. Indeed, fans will know by now that their beloved Ochdamh-mòr has so many faces. Once a straightforward peat monster, its sole purpose of subverting expectations has turned it into an entirely different beast. With the Octomore 10 Series, we basically have U2 going through its Achtung Baby–Zooropa phase. The 10.1 and the 10.3 are the most similar entrants. Both fully matured in ex-bourbon, the latter has a little more depth and complexity.

If you are familiar with the Progressive Hebridean Distilleries, you probably know that they apply a "What If" philosophy towards the entire whisky-making progress. They start with the choice of barley and the choice of farm land, and they continue with their experimental, but very straightforward, approach during every step of the distilling process.

In a manner of speaking, the Octomore range is amongst some of Bruichladdich distillery’s most adventurous whiskies. As we’ve intimated previously, the Octomore was Jim McEwan’s rebuttal to those who derided Bruichladdich’s non-peated expression as un-Islay-like. For something that was effectively a defiant rebuttal, the fiery Octomore has certainly mellowed, if only just. Our co-editor Justin Choo looks at the Octomore 10 Series. Distillery: Earthy peat smoke, dry and a little medicinal, lemon drops, and thyme come through and then marine, sea shell notes along with some vanilla and fudge from the oak.

I’m far from the most knowledgeable, so who am I not to try and honour that request. A small note accompanied the four samples I received from Bruichladdich, suggesting I taste the new Octomore 10s blind. So that’s what I did. And below you’ll find out what I think of each. The series has gone through many changes and the only consistent rule seems to be: there are rules but we’ll make them up as we go along and change them whenever we like. While Bruichladdich and Port Charlotte leave their experiments as one-offs, it’s just another day in the office for the Octomores. However, no longer are Bruichladdich intent on turning the peat dial past 11 and this batch of Octomores are perhaps the most gentle monsters they have released. And if their almost-regular blind tasting sessions are anything to go by, you can more or less throw any prior knowledge out the window. The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein.Blah blah, Bruichladdich review number four thousand and sixty is imminent. If you don’t know my views, my discussions, my rambles and, because it’s the internet, my vast number of opinions on Bruichladdich, just hit up the Bruichladdich tag and look through the old posts, making sure to ignore anything Jason says (often a good rule in general, but specifically for Bruichladdich distillery). Mouth: sweet, creamy and relatively palatable. A good amount of vanilla again, then nuts and light tobacco, slowly becoming saltier and more peaty, with growing grassy notes. Lots of dry ashes and some spicy oak.

Remember the ppm is measured in the malted barley, so this could well be less peaty than the others as it will have lost a big part during the (longer) maturation. Good, but slightly below the third release. Available from Master of Malt or TyndrumWhisky for instance.

Octomore 10.3 – Aged 6 Years – 61.3% ABV – 114 PPM

If the 10.1 is the benchmark, the 10.2 is the first 'experimental variation'. First aged for 4 years in fresh bourbon barrels, then fully brought to maturation for another 4 years in incredibly rare Sauternes casks (French sweet white wine). Finish: Medium length. Spicy & peaty to start with, then fresh & bright again. More lemonade, fresh hay, barley husks. Like eating a handful of the freshly ground grist straight from Bruichladdich's mill. More pastry, some drying sea shells and a little rubber to end. As you uncork the bottle, the nose welcomes you with earthy peat smoke, lending a dry and slightly medicinal character. Delicate notes of lemon drops and thyme dance on your palate, accompanied by the refreshing essence of sea shells. The influence of the oak reveals itself, bringing forth hints of vanilla and fudge, adding depth and complexity to the whisky. Distilled from the exceptional 2012 crop, the Octomore 10.3 pushes the boundaries of whisky-making. Aged for six years exclusively in ex-American oak casks, this spirit offers a truly unique flavor profile that sets it apart from the rest. Octomore single malt whisky is the creation of Bruichladdich distillery’s former production director Jim McEwan, a veteran of the industry with more than 50 years experience. Developed as a response to accusations of illegitimacy from those who felt all Islay malt should be heavily peated, the barley used to create Octomore achieved higher ppm (parts per million) levels than anything seen before in the production of Scotch whisky.

Colour! When I posted the photos online, all four of these bad boys lined up together, more than a few people pointed at the one on the right, which was 10.4, and gasped at how a 3 year old whisky could have so much colour. I suppose I should highlight the fact that one of the PR hooks was that this contained one of the youngest Octomores released. A baby whisky, at 3 years old. Nose: An overload of vanilla hits the nostrils first. It is reminiscent of moist vanilla cake with buttercream frosting. Lemon zest rounds out the whisky. The peat smoke hides compared to the others. It is only after a while that it wafts in the glass. There is a breadlike quality to it near the end.Very different for an Octomore, and it's a different whisky to the other _.3 bottlings. Actually it's in a totally different realm of existence to the previous Islay barley bottlings. But variety is the spice of life after all, and of course 10.3 deserves its spot in the line-up. Final Thoughts: Compared to the 11.1, it is less oily and less abrasive. Both have a peppery quality. Overall, I found the 11.3 less smoky than the 11.1. The smoke opens up with water, but the sweeter flavors are the showstopper. The Octomore 10.1 expression, therefore, is an example of a very modest approach to whisky-making. What would happen if you take Scottish barley, distill it, and have it mature on ex- American oak casks for 5years? Well, you get an expression which is a benchmark. It's simple. It's very tasty. It's salty, smoky (duh), and blessed with a pleasant oily texture. There is no burning sensation in the mouth. Instead, there is a gentle simmer. It's a cleanser of the mouth lining. Taste: Fresh & zesty. Lemon zest & fresh fizzy lemonade, creamy vanilla and savoury / dry honey. A light & fresh saltiness, and some white pepper. The peat is definitely bigger here, dark, chunky and more muddy, especially on the exhale. Much more than you'll find in the aforementioned Kilchoman too. Cola bottle lollies (not the sour variety). The .2 is traditionally the travel retail version of the range and this one uses 100% Scottish-grown Optic and Oxbridge barley. The barley is peated to 96.9ppm and unlike the core 10.1, spends half its life in two different casks. For the first four years, it is matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks before being transferred to sauternes casks (that had been filled three times previously) where it will reside for another four years. This is the fruit bomb version in the series, driven by the sauternes which gives you a distinct peach and passion fruit direction to go along with its signature sweetness. That balance of sweetness and acidity continues till it fades to a slight spiciness.