Octomore 14.2 – all peat and a dash of Amarone wine
What is Octomore other than the wet dream of every Islay peat lover? Well, to be honest, I always saw it as an overprized gimmick, to start the year rather bluntly. It absolutely has it share of followers, this extremely peated whisky made at the Bruichladdich Distillery. We are going to taste one today, since we are still in the mood after New Year’s Eve, and streets still smell of the smoke from the fireworks. This inspired me to kick of our regular schedule again with a belter!
Octomore Edition 14.2 / 128.9 PPM, bottled at 57,7 % abv
First things first: This Octomore matured in first fill oloroso and first and second fill Amarone casks. The barley used was Concerto coming from the Scottish Mainland and the age is around 5 years. Bottled on 13 July 2023 in the series named The Impossible Equation. I am guessing the PPM mentioned is the number before distilling.
Upon Sipping: Obviously, it is only the peat that speaks when you first hover your nose above the glass. Some earthy notes from the wine casks, wet dirt. Does not come off more peaty than young Lagavulin or Ardbeg, to be honest. What do we find on the palate? The arrival is pleasant enough, with hints of banana and vanilla cream, before the dry, wood chip like, finish starts announcing itself. A soft and dry blow guides the liquid down the tube, but the burn is more attributed to the high abv than the peat, which performs well with the other elements. With water: the nose improves a lot, infusing a nice and fruity note with the peat smoke. The Amarone casks speak up. The taste has turned into something weird. Like somebody poured strawberry ice-cream into an ashtray. One thing is a positive though, the tannin horror that normally comes with wine maturation if quite expertly hidden away here. We do know where the dry notes come from now, it was not the peat. The strawberry note is bothersome in a peated Islay. Wait, I say Islay, but this misses all soul of an Islay malt whisky.
Word to the Wise: Still not converted to Octomore, not after tasting this weird specimen that has its perks, but also feels all over the place. The most unforgivable thing about this whisky is that it has lost all authenticity of an Islay malt. Is there anybody out there that can provide me a sample of Octomore single malt that is deserving of the hype? I will try more when I can.
Score: 79 points.