The new Octomore’s are out and I was lucky enough to give them all a try! The number of Octomore’s per release have fluctuated a bit over the years, with an occassional .4 popping up, but this year we’re back to the OG 3! As Octomore fans will surely know the 16.1 will focus on classic Octomore tastes, where the 16.2 will play around with different casks to offer an entirely new side to the golden liquid. But the one most will be on the lookout for is the 16.3, often the one with the highest ppm rating and made with local barley from the Octomore farm!
Octomore’s are always very heavily peated, but these numbers have differed hugely in the last few years as well. For example the Octomore 8.3 had an insane 309.1 ppm rating (15.3 come close to this though at 307.2 ppm), but a year later the 9.3 was “only” a 156 ppm. And 13.3 remained at a mere 129.3. Don’t get me wrong though, a whisky can be considered Heavily Peated starting at around 20 ppm, so the Octomore’s still sit comfortly in a class of their own. The only one that ever came close was the Ardbeg Supernova at roughly 100 ppm. This year the Octomore 16.3 comes in at 189.5 ppm.
But in the end, ppm’s matter little. In my book, whisky is all about taste. And I, for one, found myself more than curious how these hitters in the peat category, will hold up on elements such as balance and complexity. So I put them all to the test for todays Octomore 16.1 vs Octomore 16.2 vs Octomore 16.3 review!
Tasting Notes: Octomore 16.1
Stats
Age: 5 years old
ABV: 59.3% (118.6 proof)
Distillery: Bruichladdich
PPM: 101.4
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Nose
I’m instantly hit with a big helping of charred steak on the nose of the Octomore 16.1, which is what I expect from an Octomore. What took my by surprise however was the huge vanilla influence here. (Don’t get me wrong, I know there’s always vanilla to be found in whisky, but the sheer dominance here suprised me nontheless). Beyond that big vanilla hit there’s also some amber, salmiak and honey drizzled bacon bits to explore though!
Palate
Lots of soot and ash are paired with honey glazed hams, smoked picanha, and a generous dusting of black pepper. Lovely savoury notes that pair so well with a big peat bomb like this. But there’s also some more nuance to be found in the form of candied orange peel, kardemom and liquorice root. Providing a greater depth to this dram beyond its peat.
Finish
The finish is long and sweeter than one might expect, especially after that very meaty palate. Ash and burnt meat do linger as well, but it’s mainly caramel, honey and apple syrup that linger the longest. A surprising turn of events for sure!
Food Pairing
A medium rare steak seasoned with nothing but salt and pepper, that would be my absolute number one pick to pair with this whisky. The savoury and sweet character of the Octomore 16.1 simply does wonders with some red meat. For a sweet option I suprisingly ended up with carrot cake as my favourite option. While I like carrot cake, it’s certainly not my favourite. But with a glass of this dram on the side I might just find myself reaching for it more often!
Verdict
Strenghts
This powerful Octomore 16.1 does the brand name justice. Octomore lovers will be pleased to gobble this up without a single doubt. The peat is omnipresent and the wonderfully meaty character it provides blows me away every time I try a sip.
Weaknesses
Despite there being some nuances and some complexity, this is a very peaty dram first and foremost. While I found it a bit lacking in complexity, it certainly does deliver that peaty punch. If peat is not necessarily your thing though, you’ll find little to love in the Octomore 16.1.
Tasting Notes: Octomore 16.2
Stats
Age: 5 years old
ABV: 58,1% (116,2 proof)
Distillery: Bruichladdich
PPM: 101.4
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Nose
The peat here is similar to the 16.1, which comes at no surprise with the exact same ppm amount and same age. But this expression aged in Oloroso and Bordeaux casks instead of ex-Bourbon. Which clearly shows on the nose! The meaty character of the peat gets paired with smoked cherries, dried figs, and prunes. And these elements overshadow the vanilla influence I was finding on the 16.1. There’s also a heavy dusting of powdered sugar and hints of nutmeg and cloves to be found here, giving an overall more complex feeling on the nose.
Palate
Suprisingly, it’s not the peat but the sweeter elements that hit you first on the palate. Amarena cherries, apple syrup and heavy molasses seem to coat this whisky in a sticky sweet flavour profile. The figs and prunes are back as well, but on the palate of the 16.2 there’s also a beautiful layer of Apricot that shines through beautifully. Peat comes in the form of iodine, salted liquorice and bbq charred beef. Lastly this dram is surprisingly spicy on the palate, with a note of Jalapeño peppers taking center stage.
Finish
The finish is long and very peppery, with the Jalapeño’s almost transforming into a Scotch Bonnet pepper. Cured meats, salted liquorice, iodine and tar all linger nicely as well, and where I didn’t find the palate all that ashy, it does pop up a bit here near the end. Overall a very “Islay” finish!
Food Pairing
Ultimately I would see myself pairing this with an extra dark chocolate most of the time. But today I went with a bit of bbq’ed pork belly, as any kind of bbq’ed fatty meat also does amazing with this dram!
Verdict
Strenghts
As bold as the 16.1, the 16.2 provides a lot more complexity and the sweeter fruity elements make this a whisky with plenty more notes to look out for beyond the blast of peat. The contrast here can be very fun!
Weaknesses
Even though the added complexity over the 16.1 can be seen as a good thing, I found the flavours here to take away from what Octomore means to me. On top of that the complexity that was there seemed a bit unbalanced to me. As if the two sides of the spectrum here haven’t really become one yet.
Tasting Notes: Octomore 16.3
Stats
Age: 5 years old
ABV: 61,6% (123,2 proof)
Distillery: Bruichladdich
PPM: 189,5
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Yes
Nose
The Octomore 16.3 aged in ex-Bourbon, PX and Sauternes casks and has a much higher ppm than the 16.1 and 16.2. Whether it’s the casks or the ppm, on the nose you can instantly tell this is a different beast all together! Where both aformentioned drams where mostly peaty and meaty, this one is funky. Whiffs of aged Stilton and Shropshire Blue cheeses come wafting from the glass, paired with date syrup, chamomile, salted pork and graham crackers. And I absolutely love it!
Palate
On the palate I’m founding loads of salted caramel, salmiak, iodine and peppered roast beef. Paired with luscious notes of fig compôtè, strawberry cheesecake, white chocolate covered raisins, and cacao. Brine, pepper, salt, smoke, tar, and touches of resin make this dram bold at the same time. A wonderful interplay of flavours.
Finish
The finish is long with the peppery elements once again dominant, but also the meaty and ashy elements shine through beautifully. There’s loads of iodine and salmiak but a tannic presence in the form of liquorice root as well. The finish is somehow shorter than on the 16.1 and 16.2, but the 16.3 beats them on complexity and overall pleasantness.
Food Pairing
Did someone say cheese? Yes, this dram screams for a cheese platter with funky moldy cheeses (blue and red by preference). In fact, that combination is so perfect that I will refrain from recommending anything else!
Verdict
Strenghts
I absolutely love the funky character here and even though the contrasts are as high (or sometimes even higher) as what we found on the 16.2, this whisky has become one consistent whole. It’s weird and funky, but it works like a wonder. This is a dram that shows you every corner of the room with force, and that’s exactly what an Octomore should be like!
Weaknesses
If you don’t like peat or if you don’t like funk (read: a cheesy character in this case) in your whisky, than this dram simply isn’t for you. But if you’re an Octomore fan, if you love peat, and you appreciate a bit of funk? Than there’s very little to fault this dram.
Final Verdict
As much as I love peat and love a good Octomore, I have to admit that this years series proved to be a bit of a hit and miss for me. The 16.1 was good, but nothing spectacular. The 16.2, however, was an enormous let down for me. The flavours there simply didn’t seem to match well together.
But then there’s the 16.3. As someone who loves peat and a bit of funk I have to say, what a banger! This is my jam and from the very first sip I find my fingers itching to order another bottle of this amazing dram.
But in the end… I didn’t. The one downside each Octomore has for me is the price tag. These are unique whiskies and I love having this 16.3 sit on the shelve so I can grab it from time to time. But ordering another bottle would just lead me to sip it more often, and a daily dram (as much as I might like it to be) this whisky is not. Not because of the heavily peated character (give me that anytime), but because the price tag.
The 16.3 sets me back around €240. And for a 5 year old single malt I find that hard to justify. That being said, I will always have an Octomore on the shelves. Because it is unique. And the most important thing for a whisky is not its age, but its flavour. But at certain price tags I can’t justify stocking up on a product.
Do yourself a favour though and try these as a sample first. Most likely you’ll end up craving for the more expensive 16.3 afterwards, but at least you’ll know what you’re getting before purchasing an entire bottle!
