.octomore - 07.1_208

Every now and then, Bruichladdich bottles a new version of their Octomore, the world's most heavily peated single malt. This seventh annual edition's malted barley has received a peating level of a whopping 208 phenol parts per million. During the Fèis Ìle 2015, this latest edition - matured in American Oak, was still being bottled at the distillery but we were lucky enough to receive a sample they were pouring in the distillery shop.

59.5% abv, €150, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: sweet, vanilla, fudge, briny, young, malt, fruit, mango, light smoke, fresh tobacco leaves, banana leaves, mint, eucalyptus

Palate: sweet, vanilla, honey, spicy, white pepper, Tabasco sauce, fruit, overripe pear, ripe red apples, young, malty, liquorice root, a hint of smoke, briny, mint, eucalyptus

Finish: long, warming, ashes, overripe mangos, tar, leather, burnt lemon zest (well, that's a first for me), salty (not briny), and a hint of peat (not smoke, I accidentally ate a small bit once...), ending in a mouthful of green malt.
Mark: +++/++ 

Conclusion: I am a fan of the Octomores, and this is probably the first to show her age this strongly. She is still very like-able, and with a splash of water and some time the eucalyptus and fresh banana leaves pop up, but the young malt-note keeps very present at all times, which I do not recollect from earlier releases. Because of that, she is not my favourite among the Octomores, but I would still like to tango with her every once in a while...