Official Tasting Notes
Nose: Initial impressions are of sweet nutty smoke, loaded with barley sugar and ripe fruit. Syrupy apricot and ripe pear along with malty vanilla notes of barley flour and Crème Brulee, honey and tablet. The American oak brings coconut, almonds and charred oak. The peat smoke is delicate but powerful and, along with the charred oak, brings out boot polish, leather and earthy notes.
Palate: A viscous texture across the palate, the feeling is of densely smoked grain which comes through like smoked granola with honeyed fruit. A second sip brings the opportunity to decipher the complexity on the palate, with smoked apricot jam, barley flour, peat embers and burnt heather balanced with gooseberry citrus and sweet Turkish delight. Oak chips, sugared almonds and chocolate-limes with spicy aniseed comes toward the finish. A drop of water intensifies the smoke and brings out the minerality of the whisky.
Finish: On the finish the sweetness fades and an earthy, mossy note remains on the palate wrapped in dry heathery peat smoke. Salty-citrus and floral notes of geranium and rose come through calmly to round off another wonderful expression of the Octomore paradox
Bruichladdich Octomore 13.1 – 5 Year Old 700ml 59.2%
$259.00
Malted to 137.3 PPM – Another classic from the makers of Hebridean sunshine!
Details
700ml: 59.2%alc
Age: 5 years
Region: Islay
Cask type: First fill bourbon barrels
Bottler: Bruichladdich Distillery
Distillation date: 2016
Release Date: January 2023 (AU)
Description
The 13 series has arrived, and we were lucky enough to sample all three expressions. Contrary to popular belief that the series has been (for lack of a better word) ‘incomplete’ in previous years, this 13 series will please even the staunchest whisky aficionado. Every bottling is simply sublime – a throw back to earlier Octomore’s with the added twist of full-term Oloroso maturation in the 13.2 which will be available to wider retail next month.
Distilled in 2016 from the 2015 harvest of 100% Scottish grown Concerto barley, the spirit in this 13.1 spent 5 years ageing in a double maturation of first-fill American bourbon barrels, resulting in a youthful and dynamic flavour feast that takes smoky bourbon casks to another level. Hot dayman – this whisky is special. Think rich malt, gooey honey and American oak, deliciously wrapped in a smoky and floral cocoon. Exquisite stuff!
The Distillery comments:
“After five aged years in first fill ex-American oak casks, our Head Distiller has offered a unique twist in this 13.1, having gathered and re-casked the spirit in 2021 into yet more fresh, first fill ex-American oak casks. This final injection of flavour, taken from the interaction between the spirit and the oak, offers additional flavours of dark toffee, coconut and vanilla.
This single malt is a testament to the trust our head distiller, Adam Hannett, has in the quality of his ingredients. Without more than patience and an understanding of how the flavours will evolve, this single malt perfectly personifies the courage of Octomore as a concept..”
For a complete guide to the Octomore Numbering System, visit our Blog HERE
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