October 15, 2015

More Octomore

In an ideal world, we’d have first tasted a few Port Charlottes. But this ain’t no ideal world, so let’s go in hot!

Octomore 5 yo 2009/2015 '07.1' (59.5%, OB)

The seventh annual release and 7,548,224,145,411ppm on this meter (okay, rather 208ppm) but we all know that it’s the phenols in the distillate that count, not the phenols right after malting/smoking. This was matured in American oak. Colour: straw. Nose: square. Ashes in a discotheque ashtray around 7am somewhere in Marbella, tincture of iodine, tiger balm, tiny very acidic lemons. That’s all folks. With water: paint, carbolinium, bitter almonds. I guess this baby’s rustproof. Mouth (neat): it’s probably where it loses a few points because of its youth. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for totally spirit-driven whiskies, but in this case I find this rather too simple, too narrow. Chewing heavily smoked grass or something like that. Whether smoked or not, barley’s neither sugarcane, nor grape, and needs time. Now, as a spectacular smoke bomb, it’s great. With water: improves. Saltier, more lemony, more almondy. Hand soap? Finish: long, gentler. Almond cream like the Italians make. Comments: I find this one a little disappointing. Very good, but a little disappointing. A little too simple, perhaps the limits of the exercise? A bit like your old uncle after his 12th after dinner joke. SGP:358 - 83 points.

Octomore 5 yo 2010/2015 '07.3 Islay Barley' (63%, OB)

Only 169ppm! On the other hand, this is fully Islay, the barley coming from Lorgba Farm in or around Port Charlotte. Not too sure. Oh and it’s brand new. And I loved 06.3 that had a similar pedigree. Colour: pale gold. Nose: sends 07.1 ad patres. This is so better chiselled, crystalline, evident, ultra-clean, massively pure… Perfect lemon, perfect peat. A blade. With water: yess. Mouth (neat): buries 07.1, once again. Our friend Mark Reynier was right. The purest form of heavily smoked, exceptionally medicinal, and superbly lemony goodness. It’s not a blade, it’s Excalibur. Or better yet, Durandal, but that’s harder to understand if you’re not French. With water: extraordinary spirit, intense, blade-y, ultra-clean, supremely elegant. If Didier Dagueneau (Google’s your friend) was still alive and was making whisky, he’d have made this. I think. Finish: even during the very long finish it doesn’t fail. Comments: 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. SGP:368 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Octomore I've tasted so far