Bruichladdich: Octomore 6.3

Bruichladdich Octomore 6.3

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Nose:  The very first whiff is very alcoholic - a bit of nail varnish, and quite sweet.  The barley is quite strong on the nose of this one, along with some milk arrowroot biscuits, and a touch of burnt porridge.  Some peat is there as well, but not what you're expecting after reading the phenol count on the bottle!  The absolute lightest touch of something citrus also makes itself known - a mix of lemon and lime essences.  A slightly odd combination of sweet,  bitter, and savoury on this nose. Palate:  Found the peat! It might have been hiding on…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

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Bruichladdich: Octomore 7.1

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.1

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Nose: Barley, honey, and slight caramel notes dominate along with a soft, sweet peat.  A very light layer of nail varnish, seaweed, and sea spray are also there.  Although it's definitely got a solid nose, it's not harsh in anyway - absolutely no alcohol on the nose at all. Palate:  On the palate, the peat, seaweed, and salt really come to the fore, but most of the other notes from the nose - the barley, honey, and caramel are still lurking in the background.  Apart from the peat, the roles have really been switch from the nose - although fortunately…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

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Balance

Bruichladdich: Octomore 7.2

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.2

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Nose:  Peat, salty beach water, bran flakes, and mixed berry sorbet.  Also a hint of a wine glass that has been left overnight. Palate:  Quite maritime for an Octomore; salty and hints of iodine.  Quite smoky, and spicy.  Burnt ANZAC biscuits and mixed berry jam. Slight traces of vanilla. Mouthfeel:  Reasonably thick and slightly oily, with a bit of warmth. Finish:  Decent length on the finish.  Dry and spicy, with lots of dried berries - strawberries, raspberries, red currant.  Also a slight hint of chocolate and hazelnuts. [divider] Octomore 7.2 is a 5 year old single malt from Bruichladdich on…
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Bruichladdich: Octomore 7.3

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3

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Nose:  Creamy caramel fudge, vanilla sponge cake with a dusting of icing sugar, uncooked cookie dough, fresh malt, and lemon lollies.  Also a slight note of what you get at the back of your nose when you get dumped by the surf.  Quite the summer holiday at the beach on the nose of this one.  Barely any peat coming though, despite knowing full well what is in the glass. Palate:  Both peat and caramel hit first - quite a soft and sweet peat; trundling alongside a rich dark caramel toffee.  There's also some buttercake drizzled with honey, a bit of…
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Christmas 2016 – A Ninja’s Very Peaty Countdown

12 Weeks To Christmas - A Very Peaty Countdown

It might only be October, but as the song goes – “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, with toys in every store“.

There’s also Christmas cake and pudding in the supermarkets, which over the last couple of years seeing those at this time of the year would annoy the crap out of me – it’s not even my birthday yet, let alone Melbourne Cup, or halloween.

This year I decided to do things differently – I’ve decided to countdown the twelve weeks to Christmas with whisky.  Either that or it sounded like a good excuse to try every Octomore that I could get my hands on – the jury is still out on the real reason.  😀

A Christmas whisky countdown is one thing – but don’t expect me to string up the tinsle, wear a Santa hat, or stock up on prawns just yet!

 

Introducing 12 Weeks To Christmas – a Ninja’s Very Peaty Countdown

Every week for the next twelve weeks I will be reviewing a different Bruichladdich Octomore whisky starting with Octomore 7.4 and working backwards.  I’ll update the list below as I publish more reviews.

  1. Octomore 7.4 – Virgin Oak | 61.2% | 167ppm
  2. Octomore 7.3 – Islay Barley | 63% | 169ppm
  3. Octomore 7.2 – Cask Evolution | 58.5% | 208ppm
  4. Octomore 7.1 – Scottish Barley | 59.5% | 208ppm
  5. Octomore 6.3 – Islay Barley | 64% | 258ppm
  6. Octomore 6.2 – Cask Evolution | 58.2% | 167ppm
  7. Octomore 6.1 – Scottish Barley | 57% | 167ppm
  8. Octomore 5.1 – 59.5% | 169ppm
  9. Octomore 4.2 – “Comus” | 61% | 167ppm
  10. Octomore 4.1 – 62.5% | 167ppm
  11. Octomore 3.1 – 59% | 152ppm
  12. Octomore 2.2 – “Orpheus” | 61% | 140ppm
  13. Octomore 2.1 – 62.5% | 140ppm
  14. Octomore 1.1 – 63.5% | 131ppm

Bruichladdich: Octomore 7.4

Bruichladdich Octomore 7.4

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Nose:  The nose on this is unmistakeably Octomore - the malty, sweet, cured meats, and damp vegetation notes that are prominent on the nose of just about every x.1 Octomore release.  This one also brings in some lighter fruity notes, as well as an undercurrent of sweet white wine.  There's also just a slight touch of the dying gasps of a wood-fired barbeque. Palate:  Up front this whisky is a battle between the raw oak flavours and the peat - both the smoky burnt peat as well as a dark vegetation note.  It's quite a sweet peat - nothing like…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish