A new Octomore for Travel Retail – 7.2 – Review

Lately Bruichladdich are releasing quite a few Travel Retail only editions of their Octomores and Port Charlottes and this one is the second wave of such releases. The Octomore “.2” usually stands out for wine finished Octomores, and this release is no different  – as the Octomore 7.2 is a limited edition in which Jim McEwan  has married American oak casks with casks that once held Syrah created in the great vineyards of the Rhone valley in France. Wine and extreme peat works well for me and for Octomore (if you remember Orpheus, and Comus). This time the Peat levels are at 208ppm . Let’s see if this batch of Octomore is as successful as previous batches.

Octomore 7.2 ,  5 yo 58.5 % abv

Nose: Avery nice mélange of smoke, ash and red fruit compote. It’s quite sweet but reeks of peat and I’m loving that. Sweet nectar with peppermint gum , maybe a hint of dental clinic – yes. Indeed. Dental clinic. and quite some orchard fruit notes: Apple, apricot and a big dollop of vanilla ice.

Palate: Blimey. This is intense. Tons of peat smoke. Lots of ash. Then the fruit breaks free of the least and we’re getting strawberries and vanilla ice cream too. Crème Catalan and bitter burnt sugar. Classic.

Finish: Long. Very very long with smoke. Peat. Ash and the fruity backbone. Then toasted oak. Bitter and dry. Until only cinders of ash remain, to remind you of this monster.

Conclusion:

IMHO the Syrah and peat work well together, and I’m also loving the very medicinal nose that blends well with the strawberries and Crème Catalan. Good stuff for the peat extremist who enjoys a nice amount of red fruit and sweetness in the mix. Not sure about pricing as I’ve not been able to locate TR stores stocking it (so far, not in TLV duty free, but I hope it’s going to be sold here as well). A good Octomore, no doubt. It delivers just what it promises. My favourite is still the 6.3 but this comes very close…

Score: 89/100

Official sample provided by Bruichladdich.