Bruichladdich Distillery has today unveiled the 15th annual Octomore releases, Series Fifteen, which showcases super-heavily peated scotch whiskies from Islay.
The 15th editions comprise three new whiskies, each presenting classic Octomore peat smoke, one of which has a PPM level over 300. These whiskies are not for the fainthearted.
Octomore Series Fifteen
Octomore is the heavily peated whisky brand from the Bruichladdich Distillery, beloved across the world for its strong and impressionable peat smoke. The 15th series is self-proclaimed the ‘Impossible Equation’, for the unbelievable level of peat in the whisky. By virtue of the impossibly high peat content, the whisky should not taste good. But it does.
Master Distiller, Adam Hannett, attributes this to the very careful drying of the barley, quality distillation, and specially selected casks for maturation. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say.
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“Our Islay barley works exceptionally well with high phenol levels, and Octomore 15.3 balances intense peat smoke with our cereal forward, malt-sugar spirit,” says Hannett. “Contrary to popular belief, we’re not looking to intentionally create the most super-heavily peated single malt whisky in the world, but rather create an extraordinary dram which demonstrates the perfect alchemy of peat, maturation, barley varietal and cask type. And that’s Octomore 15.3 for me.”
The whiskies in Series Fifteen are as follows, with all tasting notes provided by Bruichladdich.*
NOTE: PPM refers to phenol parts per million, which denotes the amount of phenols in peat-dried barley before it is distilled. The higher the PPM, the smokier a whisky is. On average, Islay whiskies vary between 20 PPM and 55 PPM.
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Octomore 15.1
- Malted to 108.2 PPM
- 59.1% ABV
- RRP: £140 ($205)
- Matured in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and recharred ex-bourbon barrels.
- “Demonstrates the intricate balance of intense smoke, cask type and spirit which underpins the rest of the Octomore range”
- “Caramel, vanilla custard and sweet malt are immediate on the nose, followed by a medley of mango, banana, and apricot jam on the palate”
Octomore 15.2
- Malted to 108.2 PPM
- 57.9% ABV
- RRP: £155 ($245)
- “The crucial difference between .1 and .2 is cask type: the 15.2 crucially uses a specific combination of second fill wine and second fill bourbon casks, with the spirit finished in first fill Cognac casks.”
- “Citrus fruits balance Octomore’s signature peat smoke on the nose, with smooth vanilla custard and caramel coating the palate.”
Octomore 15.3
- Malted to a staggering 307.2 PPM – only 1.8 PPM away from the peatiest whisky ever made
- 61.3% ABV
- RRP: £195 $280)
- Aged in bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks
- “As well as formidable peat levels, the 15.3 has been distilled from variable harvest from a single farm on Islay, showcasing incomparable flavor, provenance, and traceability.”
- “Smoked cinder toffee and rich malted barley sugar are notable on the nose, with the spirit’s smooth character punctuated with dried fruit and sweet orange zest.”
To find out more about the new series, including where to buy, visit the Bruichladdich website.
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