The gentle beastie : Octomore 10 yo 2nd Edition

After the 10 year old Laddie and Port Charlotte 10 comes the peatiest of the bunch, aged 10 years, which must make it mellower than some young Octomores we’ve tasted in the past, right? Or… Is it so?

Some background: this Octomore has been filled in to the cask  in December 2005 using malt peated to a 167ppm it then was filled into Fresh Bourbon and Grenache Blanc  wine casks, and left to mature  in P2, the ancient stone warehouse in the village of Port Charlotte, close to the western shore of Loch Indaal, this batch yielded Just 18,000 bottles, at 57.3% abv. Let’s have a sip, shall we?

Octomore 10 yo 2nd Edition, 57.3% , £163 

Nose: Lovely Smokiness, and the Laddie / Octomore feel all over, with the sweet fruity notes up front in addition to the smoke , some berries, chocolate and leather, with medicinal touches , iodine, and candied orange peel, there’s also some sweet golden syrup. Almost like eating a smoky ice cream by the sea.

Palate: Oily and mouth coating, with a big entry with pepper, chilly and then a 2nd wave of sweet, smoky lovely butterscotch , oak, and more of the fruit we’ve encountered when nosing … There’s a nice salty touch (salted caramel is the best description) as well , more vanilla and leather. Additionally there’s  sweet nectar and oak, which has tamed the Octomore monster for 10 years, is quite apparent. This is a quite lovely.

Finish: Bitter sweet oak, salty caramel, lots of wood smoke, cocoa beans, leather, and some more iodine, chocolate and a hint of tobacco / Lapsang tea.

Bottom line:

This is an excellent whisky :sweet, smoky, peppery, and salty – all of that really mixes well. 10 years in the cask have really mellowed this one down, but It’s still an Octomore, and as such it’s more bigger and bolder then most younger rivals, with the added complexity, and fruitiness coming from the Grenache casks. Very Very Good. The best of the bunch when it comes to the 10 year olds from Bruichladdich. Recommended!

Score: 89/100

Many thanks to Bruichladdich for the official samples

 

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