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Octomore 5 years 6.1 Scottish Barley

woody
4
(1)€135Scotland, Islay, Single Malt

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Facts

Octomore Farm sits on the hillside above Port Charlotte, on Islay. A licensed distillery worked there from 1816 until 1852. Bruichladdich revived the name for a series built around extreme peat. This 2013 release hit 167 ppm, the heaviest the distillery had bottled at the time. Time in cask gave it more polish than that number suggests. Smoke leads, dry and ashy, then honey and cinnamon fill in behind. It finishes long, with charcoal and tar. At cask strength, it is a straight test of how far peat can travel.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Octomore

Octomore is a well-known distillery located on the island of Islay in Scotland. The distillery is owned by Bruichladdich, a renowned producer of single malt scotch whiskies. Octomore is known for its distinctive peated whiskies, which have a reputation for being some of the most heavily peated whiskies in the world. The name Octomore comes from the farm that the distillery is built on, which was originally called Octomore Farm. The distillery was established in 2002, and its first release was a 3-year-old whisky that was heavily peated, with a phenol content of 80 parts per million (ppm). Since then, Octomore has become known for its experimentation with different levels of peating, with some releases reaching over 300 ppm.

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About the Octomore 5 years 6.1 Scottish Barley

Octomore 5 years 6.1 Scottish Barley is a single malt from Islay, off the west coast of Scotland. The peating level reaches 167 ppm, the highest the distillery had bottled at that point. It spent five years in cask and went out at 57% ABV, cask strength. Bruichladdich released it in 2013 as the sixth edition of the Octomore line. Young age and huge smoke are the whole idea here. The name traces back to Octomore Farm, on the hillside above Port Charlotte. A licensed distillery ran there between 1816 and 1852, then closed. Bruichladdich borrowed the name for its heavily peated experiment. For this release the barley came from mainland Scotland, not the island. The spirit then matured on Islay, close to where it was distilled. That old farm name still carries weight among peat drinkers. Smoke arrives first, dry and ashy, carrying honey and vanilla underneath. The middle turns sweeter, with sweet oak and cinnamon holding the peat in place. Pepper and sea air run through the palate. The finish is long and dry, closer to charcoal and tar. For a five year old, the wood influence is surprisingly clear. It stays woody without ever burying the smoke. Nothing about it feels raw. Every Octomore edition changes the barley, the casks, or the peating level. Octomore 5 years 6.1 Scottish Barley marks the point where the 6 series began, at 167 ppm. That number was the highest the distillery had bottled up to then. The barley sourcing is the other signal, drawn from mainland Scottish fields rather than island crops. Anyone tracking how far peat can go should start with this one.