Octomore is the super heavily peated whisky produced at Bruichladdich . This release was peated to 108.2 phenol ppm and finished in first fill cognac casks an initial maturation in second fill wine and bourbon casks..

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Whisky: Octomore 15.2

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 57.9%

Cask: 2nd Fill Wine, Bourbon, First Fill Cognac

Age: 5 Years (Distilled 2018, Bottled 12 March 2024)

Notes: Earth and tar sands drifted in the air with ginger and old barn hay tossed in a fire to smolder with farmyard funk leaving in the vapors. Hints of burning heather and antiseptic solutions, perhaps a deep cleaning of the barn, mixed in the fumes with some youthful, peppery, and feinty spirit leading charred lemons, menthol, and bitter oranges to battle. Medium-bodied and quite oily, the flavor profile was punchy and spirited, with plenty of pepper and prickle across the palate. Straightforward with sweet phenolic candies, an assorted of novelty jelly beans: campfire, toasted marshmallow, burnt mugwort, charred lemon peel, and camphor. More molasses cookies and smoldering grassfire lingered at the end with peppery spirit.  The finish was medium to long and numbing with spirited pepper, wispy smoke, and dusty earth.

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Score: 5 (75)

Mental Image: “5r6m,,,vf” —Marple the Cat, commentary offered by sitting on the keyboard as I sipped.

Conclusion: It might seem odd for me to complain that this tasted too young and raw considering 10.4, which was all of three years old, was one of my favorites. Yet, here we are. This was punchy and not all that sophisticated, a brash dram suited for moments of primal thought— a Paleolithic whisky perhaps. I found it a bit disappointing, especially in concert with the other 15.X whiskies, which all felt very similar. Octomore is capable of being a subtle malt with a complexity that appears like layers of an onion (or Russian doll if you object to onions), but that was not the case here.

Overall, punchy and brash, a mood whisky for sure, but I cannot see being in the mood to pour this— other whiskies do similar cave dwelling profiles at a fraction of the cost. I did enjoy some of the elements and wished I could try this at ten years instead of just five. Maybe I just do not vibe with Octomore though, so YMMV.