Review #365 - Bruichladdich Octomore 14.2
The 'XX.2' versions of Octomore generally use the same barley/spirit as the 'XX.1' versions, though they focus on European oak maturation as opposed to American oak maturation. Typically, this means the use of sherry or other wine casks, and that's the case with the 14th series: 14.2 was aged for 4 years in Oloroso sherry and Amarone wine casks, and then the 5th year was spent marrying in Pauillac wine casks.
Bruichladdich is transparent as always, giving us plenty more information on the label: the spirit vintage is 2017, it was made using Concerto barley grown on the Scottish mainland, and the malted barley (harvested in 2016) was peated to a level of 128.9 ppm. As always, there's no added coloring or chill filtration, and we get a potent cask strength of 57.7% ABV.
Bruichladdich Octomore 14.2
Scotland/Islay - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 260 (2023)
Age Statement: 5 Years
Strength: 57.7% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill ex-Oloroso sherry, first fill Amarone, second fill Amarone, and Pauillac wine casks
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; 2017 vintage, bottled 2023; Concerto barley from the Scottish mainland, peated to 128.9 ppm
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 90% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Musty, with quite a strong wine influence: oranges and cranberries, grape skins - that grape scent grows stronger with time. The peat is relatively soft at first, with a hint of wet wood funk in it; later, a bit of vanilla sweetness is added.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; peat is stronger now, but it's not overwhelming. There are hints of wood char as well, but this is generally a sweet palate - chocolate and Malbec or Pinot Noir wine come to mind, as well a nice berry medley: blackberries, cherries, and raspberries.
Finish: Dark red fruits linger - raspberry-flavored candy and sweet blackberry. Peat is now at a medium level, no more, and we get a peppery tingle at the end. It's a medium-long finish, a little bit softer than other Octomores.
Final Note: This is a delicious bottle - wine-forward, of course, but there's still enough of that peat smoke lingering to balance the sweetness. Lots of berry fruit specifically, especially blackberry; as we've seen with some other Octomore bottlings, even though the peat ppm might be the highest in the industry, that doesn't necessarily mean it will taste like the smokiest single malt.
Value is tricky for Octomores - they offer amazing, hard-to-find flavor, but they're also very expensive, especially here in the US. Not the best value, then, but they can be worth the occasional splurge.
Our Average Rating: 8.2 / 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: 5.14
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Octomore reviews:
Review #366 - Bruichladdich Octomore 14.3
Review #182 - Bruichladdich Octomore 14.1
Review #161 - Bruichladdich Octomore 10 Year 4th Edition
Review #96 - Bruichladdich Octomore 12.3
Review #77 - Bruichladdich Octomore 12.2
Review #29 - Bruichladdich Octomore 13.3
