Octomore Release 7.3 is 100% all Islay made - distilled from grains harvested at the Octomore farm on Lorgba. Gesundheit. It is peated, pre-distillation, to 169PPM and then aged in ex-bourbon and spanish wine casks. Bruichladdich tells us that these are Ribera Del Duero wine casks. I only know what some of those words mean.
Every month seems to bring a new Octomore. Much is made of the peatiness of the malt used, but just as important is the way in which it is distilled and matured.
This cask-strength Octomore was distilled in 2010 from barley grown on the Octomore Farm near Port Charlotte, and is peated at 169 parts per million of phenols.
Goes with the greatest Clairins, Mezcals, Jamaican rums, or, ach, err, Lagavulins. Truly exceptional if you like whistle-clean, angular whiskies as much as I do.
Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
House Review
Nose:
Massive peat and pepper. Salty, briney lemons and vanilla pound cake. Yep its an Octo, here we go! The BBQ sets in with some sweet savory meaty notes and then a hint of fudge. A bit more lemon, zesty this time and then that Octomore pepper swings back for one more punishing blow.
Taste:
Ethanol, lemon and salt. Sounds like a cocktail. Theres some hay and veggie notes with the pepper and the smoke. Lots of dough and vanilla. Creamy and sweet with some tart to accompany. I imagine this tastes like
Finish:
Long and creamy. A bit of heat, but at 126proof, Im not bothered. Custard, smoke and more BBQ. It lumbers away with one last hit of zesty lemon and pepper.
Overall:
I want to not like Octomore. Its young and it is expensive. But boy is it good. Its powerful. Punishing. Offensive. And I love it. To me, it is every bit as good as its older brothers - the PC 11 and PC12. For this reason, it also scores an 8.
Score:
92
By t8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources