Octomore 06.1/167 Scottish Barley

Just amazing

If you're looking for a great whisky that you can drink every night while you relax in front of the TV this is NOT that dram. Complex, bold, vibrant, demanding; the descriptors could go on and on... This is an amazing whisky! Absolutely over the top, yet understated; rich and full, yet delicate; hot and spicy, yet sweet and floral. It's an oxymoron in a bottle...like nothing I've ever had before. Pop the cork and a campfire fills the room (my wife smelled this from 18 feet away the instant I opened it). Getting past the smoke and peat, you can find a bit of old leather (think horse saddle or well-used carpenter's belt) and a field of fresh-cut hay. The palate opens unsurprisingly with smoke and sweet peat, but doesn't dominate and hide everything. Citrus, hard nuts, vanilla, stone fruit and rose petals are there for the tasting, all wrapped in an underlying honey-like sweetness. The finish is all smoke and takes forever, leaving an ashy taste in your mouth for more than an hour. Add water, and things get even more interesting! The nose stays the same, but the smoke is amplified and dominates the palate entry before a showcase of sweet peat, pears, vanilla and clover honey cascade across your tongue. The finish is slightly drying with a pleasant numbness preceding the campfire that leaves your mouth dry and wishing for more. I've never had a whisky get more smokey with water, but this does. Eminently drinkable straight, but almost a different dram when cut to about 50% ABV. I know it's expensive, and I know it's hard to find, but if you love Scotch, and you like Islay malts, you simply must try to find a glass of this...

Jodium (Sam zegt tweedehands kleding winkel) Zwaar op de tong Niet turf, Overheersende volle smaak Perfect om een avond tafelen mee af te sluiten Too much voor mij, eenzijdige smaak