Review #: 577
Description: Octomore 10 Year 3rd Edition
Spirit: Scotch
Background: As the name suggests, this is the 3rd release of 10 year old Octomore from Bruichladdich (though just my first taste). It’s a doozy of a blend of casks, so try to follow: 37% FF Port Pipe, 31% FF Cognac, 20% 2nd Fill American Whiskey, and then 12% of whiskey that spent 3 years in FF ex-American, then 2 years in Virgin Oak, and then the final 6 in ex-American. All were aged the entirety on Islay for the 10 years from 2008 to 2018.
Distillery – Bruichladdich
Bottler – Bruichladdich
Brand – Octomore
Selection – N/A
ABV – 56.8%
Age – 10 Years
Nose – Smells like a s’more next to a campfire with some honey, chocolate, and marshmallow, matchstick
Taste – Graham crackers, vanilla cake, cherry cream savers (if you remember those), strawberry shortcake, milk chocolate and caramel, almond butter cookies
Finish – Oak, dry caramel, definitely some of the cognac influence comes in, roasted tree nuts, peat isn’t as punchy as you might expect for the brand but lands more like a nice, toasted/ever so slightly burnt pasty
Score: 9
Would I buy a bottle? Yes
Thoughts: When you try to read about the blend and the casks, you initially think that they are just throwing something at the wall and see what sticks. But this whisky is exactly why you need to give so much credit to the blenders and tasters at a distillery. Compared to the 9.1, this shows how the age can tame the smoke as well as the casks giving that balance of fruit and nuttiness and oak that all ends up harmonious. This is plain and simple, a delicious whisky.