Bruichladdich Octomore 10 Year Old, 2016 2nd Ltd Release, Single Malt, 57.3%

Octomore is my kind of whisky.

Big, bad, peaty & powerful.

And like the Steve Aoki song – I felt The Power Of Now.

At 57.3% it fills the mouth with an explosion of smoke sparked off by some surprisingly sweet notes & tasty flavours.

At first I suspected added caramel but no! Bruichladdich are emphatically against such practices. All the flavour results from the maturation in wooden barrels – in this instance ex-bourbon & French wine casks – hence the sweet notes to start with contrasting beautifully with the powerful – 167ppm – peat hit later into the fabulous tasting experience.

A stupendous dram!

Not all my fellow Whisky Birmingham attendees agreed.

Port Charlotte 10, 2nd Edition c/othewhiskeynut

One preferred the Port Charlotte 10 Year Old 2nd Ltd Edition at only 50% & 40ppm. which I must admit I found harsher than the Octomore.

We agreed to differ on our findings,

Sláinte! c/othewhiskeynut

But united on our love of whisky!

Sláinte.

 

Another New Irish Distillery

I like to think I have my finger on the pulse of Irish Whiskey – but every now and then a curve ball hits me just to let me know that in fact – I know nothing!

Islay Ship Wreck c/o IslayShipWrecks

Islay is revered by whisky drinkers around the world as the holy grail of good quality whisky – generally of the peated kind that I find hard to get a handle on.

Laphroig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore, – do you want more?

Port Charlotte, Kilchoman, Bruichladdich, Gartbreck, Bunnahabhain, Port Ellen, if your taste buds haven’t exploded with the mere thought of tasting only a few of these esteemed distilleries expressions – then you’re on the wrong blog.

But what has all this got to do with Ireland?

Apart from the fact that Islay is visible from the Antrim coast – and depending on which way the wind blows – pleasant smells may also be experienced.

Connemara Peated Whiskey c/o Celtic Whiskey Shop

And in Connemara, Ireland has it’s own award winning peated whiskey to challenge those of Islay.

Nothing really.

That was until now.

Mark Reynier c/o The Spirit Business

Would it excite you if I said the former CEO of Bruichladdich was opening a distillery in Waterford?

After Mark Reynier’s successful turn around in the fortunes of that Islay distillery – the sale of Bruichladdich to Remy Cointreau – and the continued rise of whisky sales – is it any wonder he was on the lookout for a new venture?

Former Guinness Brewery Waterford c/o RTE

Following on from the Scottish acquisition of Tullamore DEW – Waterford now seems to be the happy recipient of the rise in Scottish whisky popularity.

I can’t wait to taste the results!

Slainte

Whiskey Nut