Octomore 07.1/208 Scottish Barley

The second of the heads up reviews between the Octomore 07.1 and 07.2. This time it’s the 07.1, sample supplied to me by Lee. Like the 07.2, this is a 5 year old that is peated to a level of 208 ppm. Bottled at 59.5% ABV, non chill filtered and natural color of yellow gold. The maturation on this one is entirely American oak. The nose is earthy/vegetal peat smoke. Lemon cakes, salted caramels, honey and barley sugar. Vanilla, brown sugar, red licorice and some light oak. Mixed berry donut filling with some floral and herbal notes. The palate has oaky peat smoke, vanilla, toffee and salted caramels. Somewhat fruity with peaches and apricots. Some honey and a lemon/lime type citrus. Not complex, but that’s what I’ve come to expect from Octomore. Medium bodied mouthfeel that is very oily and mouthwatering. A medium long finish with vanilla, salt and smoky ashes. This is better than the 07.3, but about equal to the 07.2. All three are good, but none of them are spectacular. The smoke on this one was probably the most prevalent between the three. Again, the overall youth is apparent here, but again it’s very drinkable despite the high ABV. The smoke, fruits and smoothness make it a winner. Thanks again to @LeeEvolved for the sample. 4.25 Cheers

Peat smoke, fruity nose, sweet. Sweet smoke, caramel, butterscotch. lingering peat finish.

Tasted at WhiskyFest San Francisco 2017 Good Notes don’t indicate how this compares to Octomore 7.3