Review #: 325
Description: Octomore 12.1
Spirit: Scotch
Background: The twelfth release of Bruichladdich’s Octomore line comes in 2021 and kicks off with the 12.1. As always, the X.1 comes from ex-bourbon casks. It contains 100% concerto barley from Scotland malted to 130.8 PPM and then aged 5 years before bottling.
Distillery – Bruichladdich
Bottler – Bruichladdich
Brand – Octomore
Selection – N/A
ABV – 59.9%
Age – 5 Years
Nose – Unmistakably smokey with lots of campfire notes, vanilla, chili powder, milk chocolate, dried lemon, grilled bell pepper, a little bit of cereal malt comes through
Taste – Creamy and light sweetness, vanilla, maple, barley sugar, milk chocolate
Finish – Fiery with campfire smoke, grilled bell pepper, dry leather, ashy embers linger a long while after
Score: 6
Would I buy a bottle? A bit over $200 for one, I would pass
Thoughts: This is a solid, peaty scotch that definitely brings the smoke, but it just doesn’t elevate it to the point where I would want to drop that kind of money on a bottle. The cask influence is there with the nice sweetness on the palate and then the grilled veggies really hit in and strong that almost reminds me of mezcal a bit, but ultimately keep it a bit disjointed for my taste.