Review #27 - Bruichladdich Octomore 13.1
2022 Octomores Mini-Series: Part 1 of 3
A quick mini-series here, this time looking at the current year's releases of Octomore from the Bruichladdich distillery. We'll take a glance at each one of this Islay distillery's 'super heavily peated' malts from 2022 and determine how they stack up (at least in our opinion).
One of the things we love about Bruichladdich is their transparency: for years now, they've been publishing some of the secrets behind their whisky-making process, often right on the bottle itself. The Octomore series is no exception; nowadays, it general consists of three versions each year with some general similarities year to year, the '.1,' '.2,' and '.3.' Each type has its own quirk which contributes to the flavor in a unique way. Some of these qualities can be found on the unique bottles used for these releases, but there is plenty more information available on the distillery's website.
In this first review, we'll look at the '.1' bottling, which is generally aged in ex-bourbon casks. This year, it has a twist: after being aged nearly 5 years in first fill ex-bourbon casks, it was then moved into another new set of first fill ex-bourbon casks for finishing. We get the usual barley provenance information as well, this bottling made from Concerto barley grown on the Scottish mainland, which was then peated to 137.3 PPM before distillation.
Bruichladdich Octomore 13.1
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 230 (2023)
Age Statement: 5 Years
Strength: 59.2% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon
Details: Concerto barley, peated to 137.3 PPM
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 100% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Hay and apple to start out, more mellow flavor notes than the .2 and .3 bottlings, but there is still a lot of peat on this nose. It's earthy and a bit green, with a touch of vanilla, cream soda, white pepper, and dry wood coming in from the casks. Then the Islay characteristics fight back with moss and some medicinal notes in moderation, and later on, after given time to open up, white grape and vanilla ice cream take over.
Palate: This is more peppery up front on the palate, and it's oily and has a medium-thick mouthfeel. Not too warm at first, but that heat does come in later, and there is a decent dry oak tingle to go along with it. Peat is here, of course, but actually isn't very overwhelming, instead being overshadowed by lots of buttery oil, dry wood, and a touch of nutmeg. There's something just slightly savory here, too, hard to place, and all the while, we're still getting a ton of pepper, both black and white. We finish off the palate with a very faint vanilla bean.
Finish: Buttery and oily again, and this is a medium length finish. The peat actually drops away a little bit, but the pepper notes linger; in the end, it's the smooth butterscotch note that stays the longest.
Final Note: Good complexity here for a malt that's merely 5 years old; probably doesn't hurt that it comes in at cask strength, especially from a distillery that is known for a lot of character in their new make spirit. We're glad this isn't too sweet for a spirit with quite a bit of first-fill bourbon cask influence, and this is pretty well balanced, if a little bit spicy on the palate. Overall, a solid start to the range, but the price for these bottles is always a hard pill to swallow. A good whisky? Yes. Good value? Not even close.
Our Average Rating: 7.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.06
