Octomore series 17 tasting

f you’re a Scotch drinker and you’ve never experienced Octomore, this is a very good place to start.

And if you already know Octomore, you probably don’t need much convincing.

Octomore has built its reputation by doing something that sounds like it shouldn’t work: taking extremely heavily peated whisky, bottling it young and at serious strength, and somehow producing Scotch that can be remarkably complex, balanced and surprisingly elegant.

Bruichladdich calls it “The Impossible Equation.”

For this tasting, we just received the brand-new Octomore Series 17, and rather than opening these bottles one at a time, we’re going to put all three releases side by side.

That’s where this gets interesting.

All three are five-year-old Islay single malts, but changes in barley, peat level and—especially—cask maturation take them in three very different directions.

WHAT WE’LL BE TASTING

Octomore 17.1 — The Reference

5 Years | 59.7% ABV | 81.0 PPM

This is our starting point.

Made from 100% Scottish mainland barley and matured entirely in first-fill bourbon barrels, 17.1 gives us perhaps the clearest look at the Octomore spirit itself.

Expect creamy vanilla, sweet malt, pear, toasted coconut and butterscotch, followed by dry earthy peat, smoldering oak, ash and that unmistakable salty Islay character.

Big? Absolutely. But there’s a lot more going on here than simply smoke.

Octomore 17.2 — The Cask Experiment

5 Years | 59.5% ABV | 81.0 PPM

Now we take the same Scottish barley and the same 81 PPM peat level and start playing with the barrels.

17.2 uses French oak with an unusual maturation history and is finished in first-fill Port barriques. The result takes Octomore in a much richer, fruitier direction.

Look for raspberry, blackcurrant, strawberry and darker fruit, along with spice, citrus, toasted oak and plenty of peat underneath it all.

This should make for a fascinating comparison with 17.1: same peat level, very different whisky.

Octomore 17.3 — Islay Barley

5 Years | 60.9% ABV | 132.1 PPM

And then we turn things up.

17.3 is made entirely from Islay-grown barley from Irene’s Field at Octomore Farm, just two miles from Bruichladdich Distillery. It comes in at a whopping 132.1 PPM and matures in a combination of first-fill bourbon barrels and European oak that previously held wines including Ribera del Duero, Sauternes, Eiswein and Syrah.

Expect coastal smoke, sea salt, char, green apple and pear, followed by salted caramel, toasted coconut, vanilla and a long, dry, smoky finish.

This is the bottle that really brings together what Octomore is all about: barley, place, cask and an awful lot of peat.

DON’T LET THE PPM NUMBERS SCARE YOU.

Yes, these are seriously peated Scotches.

Yes, they’re pushing 60% ABV.

And yes, 132.1 PPM sounds slightly ridiculous.

But that’s exactly why this tasting should be fun.

We’ll taste all three side by side, talk about what changes from 17.1 to 17.2 to 17.3, and see whether the smokiest whisky is actually the one that tastes the smokiest.

If you love Islay Scotch, this is an easy decision.

If you enjoy Scotch but have always wondered what all the fuss over Octomore is about, come find out with us.

Three brand-new releases. Three very different whiskies. And one of the most unusual experiments in the Scotch world.

No refunds due to limited seating.

We will also have older versions of Octomore available to purchase after the tasting for $15/oz.