Whisky : Octomore 10.1

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 59.8%

Cask : First Fill American Oak

Age : 5 Year (Distilled 2013, Bottled 2018)

Nose : Maritime, meat, and earth.  Passing through seafood market stalls with salt water, cleaning solvents, and meat commingling to stop for grilled eel as sweet charcoal and crisp maritime fats.  Hints of eucalyptus, white pepper, and wood ear mushrooms pulled the aroma in a different direction before miso, white pepper, and shio kelp broth brought it back around to salt and sea.

Palate : Medium-bodied with a sweet phenolic profile and notes of wood, spice, and herbs.  Initial hit of sweet charred oak and spice with pepper, cinnamon, lemon peel and salt.  A phenolic bite built on the mid-palate and disguised subtle hints of shore side florals— morning glories perhaps.  Toasted herbs toward the back end with hints of charcoal and sand while a few drops of water brought out more peat moss with white pepper funk and charred bog stumps.

Finish :  Lingering charred wood and herbs.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Shoreline Foraging

Notes : A tasty Octomore, the 10.2 felt like a tamer, slightly sweeter, version of the 10.4 (which was my favorite of the 10.X series).  The nose on this had tons of delicious maritime soup and grill notes that occasionally shifted toward earth and the impression of hunting out wood ear mushrooms among damp fallen logs.  The flavor profile was quite spicy and woody though as it settled there were some intriguing floral and herbal notes.

Overall, I found this to be quite pleasant and really a continuation of my hot and cold love affair with Octomore.  While this did not quite hit the heights I hoped for, it was still quite good.  I do not know if it was a good value proposition— I balked at paying over $200 for the 10.4 when I thought it was absolutely divine— but this was definitely toward the top end.  

Image Credit: Bruichladdich.com