Octomore 2016 Edition 13.3 Islay Barley 5 yo

 

 

 

61,1°

Distillery : Bruichladdich  Islay 

1st Fill American Whiskey Barrels, 2d Fill Rivesaltes and Ribera del Duero Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2022

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 129,3 ppm

 

 

 

The 3rd version of Octomore's 13th Batch was, like the previous ones, entirely made on Islay, with the notable exception of the malting which took place in Inverness. First, the barley was prepared and harvested in 2015 at Octomore Farm, more precisely Irene's Field and Lorgba Field, then the distillation occurred in Autumn 2016. Finally, the maturation lasted 5 years, in a combination of barrels of American Whisky, French wine from Rivesaltes, and Spanish wine from Ribera del Duero, whose vine has the particularity of growing at altitude. Bottling was made on April 4, 2022 and it went on sale in October of the same year, with an unspecified number of bottles.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is very round, both sweet and fruity, mellow, with hints of persimmon and prickly pear, some juicy mirabelle plums and bananas. The cereals are intense, giving the feeling of being in the middle of a field of ripe wheat, ready to be harvested. It's sweet, slightly earthy. A touch of minerality. The palate is very oily, vinous cereals, but more yellow fruits, Comice pears and Golden apples, Chasselas grapes, olive oil, puffed rice. The finish is long and carbonated, full and intense, still vinous and fruity, but this time with a trace of fuel oil and black earth. Humus, bay leaf, forest undergrowth. Pine cones.

 

In Short, 

An excellent product, I think. I didn't smell too much peat, because I'd tasted the 13.1 and 13.2 just before and I was starting to get saturated. What struck me was that it's very cereal-like, which made me think of the 06.3, but also the wine is kicking up a fuss, so I also thought of the 07.3. My only reservation: I found it a bit too cosy, pleasant, like 13.1, it lacks violence and politically incorrect flavours. Still, it's one of the good Octomores, and I've been trying to get hold of a bottle ever since, but it's tricky given the price.

Note : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listend While Sipping :

 

                                           King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Iron Lung