Tag: 5 Years Old

Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.3

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 09.3

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.3” →

Nose: Loads of fresh malted barley, milk arrowroot biscuits, along with apple & honey porridge come first up. Then comes the peat - strangely medicinal for an Octomore. There's also hints of wood shavings, and a faint eucalyptus note. Palate: Raw malty spirit, smokey tea, lemon sponge cake, and soggy hay. Loads of smoke - perhaps a little more ashy and tarry than is normal for Octomore. Mouthfeel: Thick and chewy - it coats your mouth and just stays there. Finish: Long, dry, and smokey. The more medicinal notes return, along with a lingering saltiness. The Octomore of Octomore. The…

Would I Drink It Again?

Total Score

Maybe - not sure I'd pay for another bottle though.

Bruichladdich: Octomore 8.3

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 8.3

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 8.3” →

Nose: Malty, with oodles of honey and vanilla. Smoked meats and canned pears round out the nose for me - apart from the volcanic blast of smoke that is released when you first pop the cork. Palate: If you like smoke, you'll love this whisky - I'm not just getting your usual campfire smoke or peat-bog embers or your charred soot/tar smoke - but all three as separate and distinct flavours in your mouth at once. A little bit spicy and bitter at the front of the mouth - like a mixture of over-roasted coffee and seaweed; it settles down…

Would I Drink It Again?

Total Score

For sure - this is a pretty good whisky.

Bruichladdich: Islay Barley 2004 – Feis Ile 2010 Bottling

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2004 for Feis Ile 2010

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Islay Barley 2004 – Feis Ile 2010 Bottling” →

Nose:  Burnt sugar, raisins, dried red berries, vanilla, and burnt fruit cake. Palate:  Both sweet and sour.  Pretty much the same as the nose - definitely heavy on the berries and vanilla.  Also quite a solid malty creaminess enveloping the other flavours. Mouthfeel:  Mid-heavy weight, dry, creamy, with an alcoholic tingle right on the tip of the tongue. Finish:  Pretty long.  Some heat from the higher than average alcohol.  Not as sweet as the palate - some dried cake at the back of the throat.  The finish doesn't last a long time, but the impression the whisky leaves behind lasts…

Would I Drink It Again?

Total Score

Absolutely. This is a stunning whisky made even more desirable by its rarity.

Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.2

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 09.2

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 9.2” →

Nose: Rich, smokey, sweet, and dark. Like opening the lid on a barbeque after you've left a rack of lamb glazed with berry jam on the grill for just a touch too long. Jammy (mixed berries), meaty, and a little ashy. Palate: Straight up, this is quite a dark, closed whisky; with ash, meat juice, some cloves, and pepper, being the mainstay on the palate. Add a dash of water though and you get a whole lot of tart raspberries and sour cherries on the palate. The ash turns more earthy and medicinal - going from barbeque to beachside camp…

Would I Drink It Again?

Total Score

Probably - not my favourite Octomore, but still a good whisky.

Bruichladdich: Octomore 2.1

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 2.1

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 2.1” →

Nose:  Brine, lemon, recently mowed grass, peat, and polished wood.  Also traces of freshly oiled leather, and a slight hint of green apples.  Quite fresh and light. Palate:  Sweet malt, grass, burnt barbeque marinade, mixed citrus lollies, and fresh mint & other herbs.  There's a thick layer of strong and sweet peat blanketing everything.  Quite creamy. Mouthfeel:  Slightly less thick than the 1.1, but still what I'd say is mid-weight.  Slightly dry and creamy.  A small amount of burn, but quite a bit less than the 1.1. Finish:  Reasonable length, but shorter than most Octomores.  Quite sweet.  Fresh grass, lemon…
Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish
Balance

Bruichladdich: Octomore 2.2

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 2.2

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 2.2” →

Nose:  Wet timber, moss, ripe grapes, and mixed red-berry jam.  Also, unusually for an Octomore, there is quite a prominent amount of newmake spirit and paint-stripper on the nose.  Also a hint of some portwine jelly.  Given a bit of a breather, the paint-stripper and newmake spirit dies right off, with the berries and jelly becoming far more prominent. Palate:  Very sweet, with a hint of peat.  The grapes and mixed red-berry jam from the nose are quite bold on the palate.  Thankfully the paint stripper has departed, although there is still a hint of some newmake spirit at the…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish
Balance

Bruichladdich: Octomore 4.2

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 4.2” →

Nose:  Honey snaps (biscuits), malt, vegetal peat, wet leather, and something strangely like jalapenos and over-ripe green grapes.  Sweet yet also tangy at the same time.  Also some floral notes hovering around the back, and a faint traces of vanilla pods and fresh cut grass. Palate:  Creamed honey, vanilla, and a strange mixture of something florally and briny vegetal-peat notes.  Super sweet, yet also quite peppery. There's also some pear cider and lemon zest floating around, and some candied ginger - and just a touch of Kakadu plum. Mouthfeel:  Mid-heavy weight, and very slightly both oily and syrupy.  A bit…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish
Balance

Bruichladdich: Octomore 5.1

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 5.1

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 5.1” →

Nose:  Salty sea water, peat, fresh hay, lemon peel.  Very clean and compact. Palate:  Lots of salt and peat.  Slight seaweed and grassy notes; along with some boiled lemon lollies.  The faintest notes of cinnamon sponge cake.  The palate is almost entirely the same as the nose, with the added cinnamon sponge edging in right at the back. Mouthfeel:  Thick, so very thick.  Oily to start with, yet it dries extremely quickly as it heads to the back of the tongue.  Absolutely no alcohol burn at all. Finish:  Long, warming, and very dry.  Peaty, salty, and very lightly grassy. Balance: Perfect. …

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish
Balance

Bruichladdich: Octomore 6.1

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 6.1

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 6.1” →

Nose:  Seaweed, peat, salt, and leather. A slight hint of dried fruits and nuts.  Both the seaweed and peat really dominate, but overall the nose is quite subdued compared to other Octomore editions. Palate:  Massively peaty and vegetal, with quite a bit of iodine as well - not Laphroaig levels of iodine, but probably the highest levels for an Octomore.  Strangely a little bitter at the back of the tongue. Mouthfeel:  Midweight and oily.  A slight alcohol burn. Finish:  Decent length, although a little subdued.  Quite a bit of iodine and vegetal notes, along with the ever-present peat.  A touch…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish
Balance

Bruichladdich: Octomore 6.2

Posted on by The Whisky Ninja
Bruichladdich Octomore 6.2

Continue reading “Bruichladdich: Octomore 6.2” →

Nose:  Salty peat (dry earthy peat, not at all medicinal), a bit of that flower-bed smell with mulch and bark, fresh charred wood, and sweet citrus notes.  There's also some berry ice cream, and some peppery notes.  Given some time to breath, more fruity notes show themselves, with the earthy notes receding in their wake. Palate:  The salty peat is prominent.  Citrus flavours and sweet berries are fairly big too.  Quite sweet with lots of vanilla, as well as an earthy taste, along with some charred wood and white pepper as well. Mouthfeel: Reasonably thick, although not notably so for…

The Ninja's numbers - A completely subjective score.

Nose
Palate
Mouthfeel
Finish
Balance