Scotch Hobbyist's Blog

Octomore 2 (140 ppm)

I got an email from Mark Reynier at Bruichladdich this morning with the Octomore 2 press release that’s already been posted all over the blogosphere. Cool…am I “press” now? 🙂

Anyway, it was interesting timing, as I just tried Bruichladdich 3D3, the peated bottling from a couple of years ago that contains the first ever Octomore (vatted with Port Charlotte and some standard Laddie). I really like the 3D3, which reminds me quite a bit of Ardbeg. It’s got a lot of smoke and peat, but somehow delivers it in a way that doesn’t bowl you over. Check out this Singlemalt.tv video with Jim McEwan, where he talks about the process of making Octomore. It gives a little more background on how they achieve the “iron fist in a velvet glove” delivery described below in the press release.

I used to think Octomore was nothing but a marketing gimmick. It might very well be a marketing gimmick to a certain extent, but having tasted 3D3 and seen that Jim McEwan video, I’m now kind of intrigued by the release. Plus, I admit that I am a sucker for the cool looking bottle. However, what I’d really like to do is compare Bruichladdich Peat (replacement for 3D3), Port Charlotte PC7, and Octomore side-by-side to see how the PC and Octomore influence the Peat release. I’m just not so sure about paying $400 to do it. Wouldn’t it be great if Bruichladdich offered a reasonably priced sampler pack containing these three expressions? Maybe 100 ml samples like Glenmorangie does with their sample pack. Even better…include a sample of a “standard” Bruichladdich, and let us experiment with our own vatting!

The World’s Peatiest Whisky Just Got Peatier

Octomore  is now 7%  more peaty than the inaugural 2008 record-breaker.

The peatiness, at 140 ppm (parts per million) in the original malted barley, gives this whopper a huge peat smoke punch, almost 30% more than its nearest rival to the title.

It is referred to as ‘the iron fist in a velvet glove’ owing to the whisky’s surprisingly subtle charms, and is distilled at Islay’s Bruichladdich Distillery by head distiller Jim McEwan:

“It’s a great equation: massive peat + Bruichladdich elegance = awesome spirit. We dialed up the peating level of this 2nd bottling of Octomore because it seemed churlish not to.”

“But Octomore is not for the feint-hearted. At this peating level it is for savouring; a little goes an awful long way. Taste with minimal water to appreciate and share in its evolution.”

“Dr Riffkin, Tatlock & Thompson’s analyst that certified the whisky, told me: “this is the highest peating level we have ever seen – by miles.”

Another slice of Octomore anyone?

Notes for Editors:

Distributed in the UK by Blavod, 202 Fulham Road, London SW10 9PJ – contact: rambler@blavodextreme.com or Phyllis Taylor 0207 3522096  Exports: Andrew Gray andrew@bruichladdich.com

Peat smoke was traditionally used to arrest by desiccation the germination of malting barley to provide fermentable sugars.

Octomore is an Islay single malt distilled at Bruichladdich distillery annually since 2003.

Octomore 2009 bottling was distilled from barley that measured 140 ppm parts per million of total phenols in the original malted barley by the industry standard method of HPLC.

The certificate of analysis of the Octomore 2009 bottled whisky by Tatlock & Thompson Scientific Services is available for inspection at Bruichladdich Distillery.

15,000 numbered bottles are available worldwide at cask strength.