Bruichladdich Octomore 6.3 Islay barley

Octomore 6.3 Islay Barley

64% AB

88/100

Yet another Octomore review and I have been searching for the best way to introduce this review. This was the first .3 iteration of the series, the culmination of much of the terroir driven work at Bruichladdich, 100% Islay barley grown on the farm that gave this whisky it’s namesake, by a guy named James Brown no less and peated to the eye watering level of 258ppm, a process that apparently requires several days of careful monitoring.

I believe the work that the Laddie team has been doing is really unique and admirable. One could view it as just being their marketing “shtick” but somehow it resonates with me this idea of making a spirit that reflects the surroundings and climate. Their trials using less popular barley strains and growing grains in proximity to the distillery is in some ways a return to tradition.

Let’s see if any of this is reflected in the final product.

Nose: Farmy and greasy at first, then a bit of melon, lime oil (like the aftershave), a feeling of dirty juicy fruit gum, dried cereal, hot cornbread. Then comes the Laddie split-milk notes, lamp oil, cold campfire. With time a growing minty/herbal side, salted licorice, a bit of cinnamon and vanilla. The smoke is always present wrapping everything together.

Palate: Sharp, sooty, sweet, almost fizzy, diesel fumes and cantaloupe. A handful of black earth and lemon lozenge and citrus peels. It turns more mineral and bitter in the center before returning to a fun mix of  sweet, creamy and herbal, vanilla, corn pudding and gentian.

Finish: acrid smoke, earth and grains and a bit of sweetness, the lactic note is present but not overpowering. I found it much less sweet than other versions, the body is huge, just really oily and viscous.

It is fairly close to the standard versions of Octomore but somehow more earth and grain shine through, the herbal\mineral integrated with the sweetness, very well balanced

Lastly, you know you’ve made a good friend when after an evening out eating and indulging in a couple of drams, they end slip you two quite generous samples of Octomore for no other reason than the pure pleasure of getting your impressions of the stuff. I want to thank fellow Connosr member Robert99 for providing me the opportunity to dig myself deeper into Octo-obsession.

Franck

*photo credits:Octomore farm l’oeil sur le vin blog, Rockside farm Bruichladdich website. 

Friends of Laphroaig MTL 2017.

I’m always impressed when I see photos of the tasting events put on by spirit companies. They run the gamut from low-key to lavish. I promise I don’t turn green with envy when I see Tobi in one of his photo spreads balling out with the Ardbeg reps (I kid Mr. Barleymania).
Well I can’t complain any longer, two weeks ago I noticed an email from Friends of Laphroaig inviting the Montreal members to a event. 

The chosen location turned out to be a cute little basement bar called “Le Royal”, the bars decor goes in for the speakeasy type vibe but it’s was nonetheless very nice. It had been decorated in Laphroaig’s current marketing swag for the event.

There were canapés aplenty (beef tataki, ceviche, foie gras macarons, parmesan crisps and more), we were offered two drink coupons as well. I was hoping they would be introducing a new expression or offering us tastes of the 2017 Cairdeas, sadly this would not be the case. 

We were offered Laphroaig select or Quarter cask and also two cocktails created specifically from the event containing these same whiskys. 

I was joined by fellow EBWC member Brewsie and we opted to start with the “Symphony of numb” cocktail, the composition included ginger juice and Marsala and a healthy dose of Quarter cask seemed intriguing. Kudos to the bartender who told us he was the originator of the recipe and explained to us his creation.

The cocktail managed to soften the attack of the whisky, the fortified wine being the initial flavor leading the way into the iodine and smoky burst that paired well with the spiciness of the ginger.

We chatted with Sam one of the reps who was really friendly and offered us a sneaky taste of select (Laphroaig lite) and who was nice enough to introduce me to one of his fellows in marketing.

I inquired about the status of the Cairdeas on our shelves. He confirmed it arrived at the SAQ warehouses but they have no control on when it hits the shelves, the price should be about 100$. If so it means the expression hasn’t experienced an increase in over 3 years, a rarity in the current market. 

With our tickets gone I offered Brewsie a dram for the road, I spied a bottle of Ardbeg 10 and thought it would be an interesting contrast since he had never tried it.  Upon leaving we were presented with gift bags containing a Laphroaig Glencairn. It was a fun night it felt more like being invited to their office Christmas party than an actual event, since everyone was kind of left to their own devices. I can’t complain it was a much appreciated invitation.

Franck