Whisky : Octomore 10.2

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 56.9%

Cask : First Fill American Whisky (4Y), Sauternes Wine (4Y)

Age : 8 Years (Distilled 2010)

Nose : Vanilla, cake, and old tires. Sun-cured vanilla bean, bourbon cake, gingerbread, and burnt brownie edges all came to mind. Hints of a distant tire fire, camphor, and old salt-crusted discarded tractor tires by the sea appeared between dominant cake notes.

Palate : Medium-bodied with notes of molasses, tires, and rich cake. Dense wintertime desserts came to mind with vanilla bean, gingerbread, molasses, and fig jam. Sweet, yet slightly acrid, old tires and camphor notes contrasted with the sweet baked desserts. A few drops of water accentuated the chocolate and tobacco notes at the end.

Finish :  Lingering hints of old tires and chocolate brownies

Score : 6

Mental Image : Old Sandbox Tractor Tire

Notes :  After eight years in the cask, this Octomore was a fascinating mix of sweet, peat, and tires. To be clear, those tire notes were never the sort of new rubber funk that some drams can take on. Rather, they reminded me of the old weathered tires that some playgrounds have, or that you duck and hide behind on a paintball course, or that sit in the middle of an animal pen. It was weathered and old, subtly sweet and slightly earthy. That tractor tire undercurrent ran throughout the entire experience with sweet pastry and sugar overtones balanced on top of it. After an initial impression of vanilla bean, the finish was all chocolate and old tires. I love burnt brownie end pieces and, though this was a tad too sweet for me, I thought there were plenty of those deliciously toasty chocolate pastry notes.

Overall, this was a bit sweet and a bit hot on occasion, but generally, the 10.2 was a nicely coherent and tasty package. I thought it compared favorably to some of the previous .2 editions and reminded me of the 8.2. I imagine anyone who particularly loved that bottle would find this a pleasant reprise.

Image Credit: Bruichladdich