whisky-octomore-13.3

Nose: Sweet malt sugar and soft peat smoke, with fresh green fruit, flowers (rose, geranium), apricot and eucalyptus. Marzipan, ginger cookies and honey melon notes develop, with fruity malt growing stronger. Water enhances the smoke.

Palate: Smooth with honey and brown sugar leading to gentle peat smoke. Next come lemon peel, seashells, light sea notes, malt cookies, marzipan and coconut. Soft smoke carries hints of polish and ash, allowing floral and malt notes to shine.

Finish: Sea notes deepen, smoke increases, with honey, lemon, warm sand and marzipan. Sweet peach and cooked pears at the end.

Octomore 13.3 is distilled from barley grown on a single Islay farm, showcasing the powerful flavor combination of super-heavy peat with variable island harvests. Matured in first-fill ex-American whiskey barrels and second-fill European oak casks from Rivesaltes, France and Ribera del Duero, Spain. Head Distiller Adam Hannett works with this single estate, single vintage spirit influenced by climate, weather, yield and terroir. The European oak provides subtle structure while American oak lets the spirit shine. Expect vanilla and brown sugar balanced with fresh green fruit notes, with gentle dry smoke building to a long finish featuring hints of creosote and sea spray.

Bruichladdich was founded in 1881 on Islay. During its centuries-old history, the company has experienced a series of ups and downs, but in 2001, after Jim McEwan and several investors bought the company, Bruichladdich regained its former strength.