News: Octomore 11

Usually mid September is the time Bruichladdich Distillery announes its new three- or foursome of black bottles for its die-hard fans: Octomore! 

The 11th generation - named after James Brown's Octomore farm - arrives October 1. Regular .1 and .3 editions will be sold through the regular channels. Octomore 11.2 will be an exclusive for the Laddie webshop. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter and be amongst the first to grab a bottle!

Let's meet the foursome. 

Octomore 11.1

Underpinned with a delicate balance of smoke and sweet vanilla from the ex-American oak casks, this single malt has spent just 5 years in contact with fresh first-fill wood. The presence of peat on the palate is huge, and yet is incredibly balanced with clean fruit and floral notes.

• Malted to 139.6ppm 
• Distilled in 2014 from the 2013 harvest of 100% Scottish grown Concerto and Propino barley
• Matured in first-fill American whiskey casks from Jim Beam, Heaven Hill and Jack Daniels 
• Five-year-old single malt 
• Alcohol: 59.4% ABV

Octomore 11.2

Distilled in the winter of 2014 from the 2013 harvest of 100% Scottish barley, two parcels of alluring spirit would eventually be combined to create this Octomore 11.2.

Parcel One makes up 25% of the final composition. It was matured full term in ex-European oak casks, hailing from the Pauillac region of France. The winemaker is known to blend Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot varieties, and the casks therefore impart a strong influence on the final round and rich character of this 11.2 spirit. 

Parcel Two makes up 75% of the final composition. It was first filled into ex-American oak before being transferred into casks from the St Julien region of France. It would mature in these exquisite ex-Cabernet Sauvignon wine barriques, known for their rich aromatic youthfulness, from May 2018 to January 2020. It would be married with Parcel One for the final months of its life.

• Malted to 139.6 PPM
• Distilled in 2014 from the 2013 harvest of 100% Scottish grown Concerto and Propino barley 
• Matured in a combination of 25% Pauillac ex-wine casks, 75% ex- American whiskey casks, then ACE’d in St Julien wine casks for 18 months
• 5-year-old single malt
• Alcohol: 58.6% ABV

Octomore 11.3

Grown on Octomore farm, this Islay barley is raised by the distillery’s friend and farmer James Brown. It is harvested, malted and distilled separately, even from other Islay barley harvests, in order to become a single field, single vintage single malt.

• Malted to 194 PPM 
• Distilled in 2014 from the 2013 harvest of 100% Octomore Farm grown Concerto barley 
• Matured in first fill American whiskey casks from Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace and Jack Daniels 
• 5-year-old single malt    
• Alcohol: 61.7% ABV

Octomore 10YO (R2020)

Sitting alongside its 11 Series counterparts, this Ten Year Old brings a subtler, more mature dimension to the otherwise youthful exuberance of the .1, .2 and .3 spirits in the 11s series. While Adam deliberately keep’s the barley influence forward in the .1 and .3 editions, the .2 and Ten Year Old editions introduce cask influence at varying ends of the Octomore age spectrum. While the malt for the Octomore Ten Year Old is initially higher in PPM, the influence of those 5 extra years results in a calmer, deeper spirit.

• Malted to 208 PPM 
• Distilled in 2009 from the 2008 harvest of 100% Scottish grown Optic barley 
• Matured in a combination of Virgin Oak & first and second fill ex-American whiskey casks from Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Buffalo Trace and Jack Daniels 
• 10-year-old single malt
• Alcohol: 54.3% ABV

Source: Bruichladdich.com