"The Impossible Equation" continues. Yes, the same old "they told us it couldn't be done, but we did it anyway" tale. But they've actually done some things differently with lucky number thirteen...
Warning, controversial statement ahead. Here it is: Octomore has been steadily losing to Port Charlotte since the ninth series of the former was released back in 2018. The latter underwent a full rebrand around the same time, adding to the impact of a new permanent 10-year old core range bottling and an annual Islay Barley release, both bottled at 50% ABV. When it comes to value between these two brands of peated Bruichladdich, there's no comparison. One is still more "sexy", more heavily marketed in its opaque bottles, while the other is quieter and more discrete, albeit much louder than it was prior to that much-needed rebranding. The Octomore 8-series was a stand-out, setting the bar high without any "filler", and the subsequent series' have had significant low points and fewer high points (10.2 and maybe 12.3 being the exceptions if you ask me) in comparison. I myself, like many I suspect, became afflicted with Octomore fatigue around the 10-series. Yes the controversial ppm figures (see here for more detail) that Octomore marketing relies on have dropped significantly, but they're still big numbers, it's not that change alone. More importantly the whisky itself has become significantly less peaty and considerably softer, to the point where I'd say Octomore has changed in style, and that change has narrowed the gap between the two brands. Don't get me wrong, Octomore is absolutely still good whisky, it's still a Bruichladdich product after all. Put the torches & pitchforks away! The asking prices have continued to rise with each batch released, and in Australia you'll struggle to find a _.1 Octomore for less than $250 (approx. $170 USD) and a _.3 for less than $320 (approx. $220 USD). They're far from the worst offenders when it comes to recent price increases, but that's a lot of money for what is still (mostly) a 5-year old whisky.
But let's step away from pricing for now. The 13-series has seen a few interesting departures from the Octomore recipe, which was generally a 5-year old ex-bourbon _.1, a wine cask influenced travel exclusive _.2, an ex-bourbon and/or ex-wine Islay barley _.3, and either a bonkers virgin oak _.4 or a 10-year old as the fourth bottling. I suppose they've still kept to that broader recipe, but there are some interesting points of difference in the 13-series. Firstly, Octomore 13.1 has been matured in two different lots of first-fill ex-bourbon casks, i.e. it was double-matured in the same cask type. It was matured in first-fill bourbon casks for four years, and then finished in another lot of first-fill ex-bourbon casks for the fifth & final year of maturation. To my knowledge this is the first time we've seen this in an Octomore, and it's quite a rare practice in Scotch whisky generally, especially in one so young. Secondly, Octomore 13.2 has been fully matured in ex-sherry casks of the Oloroso variety. To my recollection this is the first time we've seen 100% sherry maturation in any general release Octomore, i.e. not a Feis Ile release like Event Horizon or Discovery. Thirdly, the Islay barley 13.3 has been matured in a combination of first-fill ex-bourbon casks, second-fill Rivesaltes (French fortified wine) casks, and second-fill Ribera Del Duero (Spanish red wine) casks. It's far from the first time a _.3 Octomore has seen some wine cask influence, in fact most of them do. But this is the first time first-fill bourbon casks have been combined with two different types of second-fill European oak wine casks, plus all components were fully-matured and married together, rather than merely being finished. Lastly, there is no fourth release in the 13-series, at least at time time of writing, and the previous 10-year old release from the 12-series was only available from the distillery shop. Maybe the older stocks of Octomore are drying up, or they're being held back for an older release in future.
Released overseas in mid-late 2022, the Octomore 13-series is yet to be released in Australia, but it isn't far away. We don't know local pricing or availability yet, but based on the pricing direct from the distillery shop for 13.1, 13.2, and 13.3; which were £135, £150, and a whopping £190 respectively, it's safe to say that there'll be another increase when they do hit the shelves here. Whoops, I'm talking about pricing again! **Edit: I was right, unfortunately, in fact it's even worse than I expected. 13.1 is now $300, 13.3 is a ridiculous $400, and 13.2 hasn't even appeared yet but it'll be close to the .3. Sad times. ** The two Octomores that I'm reviewing here came from a sample swap with a generous fellow whisky geek, who imported the bottles from Europe. Both 13.1 and 13.2 were distilled from the same batch of barley in the same year, peated to 137.3 ppm (that extra 0.3 parts per million makes all the difference). To recap, 13.1 was double-matured in two lots of first-fill bourbon casks, and 13.2 was fully matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. Which meant I couldn't help but compare the two! We'll go with the double ex-bourbon cask 13.1 first.
Distilled from Scottish barley peated to 137.3 ppm (mainland peat), matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks for approx. 4-years, then finished in a second lot of first-fill ex-bourbon casks for the fifth year. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.
Colour: Pale gold.
Nose: Peaty, spicy, herbal/floral. Big chunky earthy peat, aniseed, and burning heather. Then creamy vanilla, sweet fruit - white melon, brown-skinned pear, fresh cut grass. Hot asphalt, new (i.e. clean & dry) rope, and a touch of clean rubber. Honeyed malted barley and almond meal in behind.
Texture: Medium weight. Oily. Massive peat, wood smoke, and sweetness. Very slight heat.
Taste: Big chunky, earthy peat & thick smoke. Eventually fades into creamy vanilla, honeyed malted barley, and that sweet white melon & brown-skinned pear. More aniseed & almond meal in the background.
Finish: Long length. Marker pen, almond meal, sweet fresh oak & aniseed. The big earthy peat & thick smoke running underneath the entire time. More burning heather, and honeyed malted barley to finish.
Score: 4 out of 5.
Notes: Just as tasty as ever really, but a step up from 11.1 & 12.1 if memory serves. It's less aggressive than the earlier versions, maybe with a touch more complexity. There's also more smoke than I remember in the earlier stuff, which were focussed almost entirely on peat rather than smoke. The oak influence has been kept in check by that big peaty, oily spirit, and despite the extra cask involvement I can't say that I find it much more woody, oaky or vanilla-led than other recent _.1 Octomores. It's a curious move to put this batch through a second lot of first-fill bourbon casks. Maybe the first lot of casks were a little lazy? Whatever the case, the final product is a winner!
Now the one we've all been waiting for; the first general release official bottling of Octomore to be fully matured in sherry casks! Specifically, 100% first-fill Oloroso sherry butts (500-litres) from Fernando de Castilla in Jerez, Spain. The distillery has stated that all of these casks were matured in the old dunnage warehouses in the village of Port Charlotte, a couple of miles down the road from the distillery. Full maturation in first-fill sherry casks might have you thinking "sherry bomb", but this is still a young 5-year old whisky, and those casks were big butts (tee-hee) that have been used for actual sherry maturation rather than being short-term seasoned. So I'd say the sherry influence will be measured. Time to find out!
Octomore 13.2, 5-years old, 58.3%. Islay, Scotland.
Distilled from Scottish barley peated to 137.3 ppm (mainland peat), matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry butts. Non-chill filtered, natural colour.
Colour: Amber.
Nose: Surprisingly dirty & funky! Loads of rancio character, and heading into sulphur territory. A slightly weird sweaty sourness around the edges too. Roasted nuts, gamey cured pork (charcuterie), and rubber. Balsamic vinegar over dried strawberries. Raisins, orange rind, and fatty, salty smoked bacon. Honeycomb (cinder toffee to the Brits). Touch of brine & gentle peat smoke in the background.
Texture: Medium weight. Syrupy, sweet & sour, rancio. Slight flatness on the mid-palate (see notes). No heat.
Taste: Dried orange, plenty of roasted nuts again, more fatty, salty smoked bacon. Thick, acrid, dirty smoke, almost burnt rubber or plastic. Leather. Touch of bitter coffee. Walnut brittle.
Finish: Medium length. Balsamic vinegar over dried berries again. Black pepper, leather, thick acrid peat smoke, touch of rubber, and more roasted nuts. Brown sugar, tobacco, and orange rind.
Score: 3.5 out of 5. But only just.
Notes: Well that's quite the surprise! This is a totally different whisky to what I expected, with much more dirty, rancio, funky character. That does happen with these ex-bodega / ex-solera Oloroso casks, they're often not as clean as short term sherry seasoned casks. 13.2 does also have a whiff of sulphur to it, including the slight flat spot in flavour & texture on the mid-palate that I often find with sulphured whiskies. As in you're expecting a flavour lift or curve mid-way through the palate (Ralfy would say, "the development"), but there's either a lag before it arrives, or it just flatlines. Hopefully that makes sense! That sweaty sourness on the nose is a challenge as well, but thankfully it fades with breathing time, and doesn't carry through to the palate.
I can see this Octomore being a little divisive. It's a world away from the ex-bourbon iterations, and I can't recall getting this much rancio character in an Octomore before. Or this much dirtiness, for that matter. I don't think there's enough sulphur here to put anyone off completely, but it may come as a surprise like it did for me. Then again, maybe this scenario of going straight from 13.1 to 13.2 (with a short break & water in between) has amplified that dirty difference. Still, a fascinating, challenging, weird whisky that calls for more exploration!
Cheers!
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