Octomore 07.1/208 Scottish Barley

EXPLORATION: (Purple Prose Warning) At first intense, but ultimately rewarding. Smoke and wood on the nose, but it doesn’t bludgeon you. It’s the smell of burning logs on a breezy summer day, and a campfire beneath the stars. There’s something very rich, almost wine-like in there. It’s warming...and it beckons. Diving in, you’re met with dark fruit and a strong peat that never overwhelms. It invites you to kick off your traveling shoes and stay a while. There’s a cozy chair next to the fireplace and your favorite book is on the mantle. Contemplate life. Enjoy yourself. The finish lingers long after the event. The purple prose is admittedly a bit much, but this was really good and warrants further exploration. If only it weren’t so rare...makes one wonder what else is out there. Giving it 4.5 stars to leave room for some god dram that I don’t know exists yet. EXHORTATION: Seek, dear Seeker. I'd commend you to buy it, but it is rare and expensive. A dram might have to do.

I review my previous note, now halfway through the bottle. This whisky is like Pulp Fiction: every time you drink it, it becomes more and more good .... The notes of the tasting are those, it just starts to fascinate me: it seems much older than it really is, and its particularities that all at the beginning they made me evaluate 3.5, now they make me switch to 4.5. A product that is undoubtedly courageous, but truly valid. Maybe at the end of the bottle I will arrive at 5.0 of evaluation .... Below my previous note: What can I say, to define it particular is little. Whisky that puzzles me. Ultra peaty does not actually cover other aromas. On the nose I would say, in addition to peat, petrol and burnt rubber. So not exciting. On the palate, the high alcohol content is not felt at the beginning, for a surprisingly soft whisky. Sweet, cream and honey cake, then a chemical hit arrives that makes it a little bitter. Let's say it seems a bit like medicine. Then the tongue and palate become anesthetized and leave an incredibly long and unexpectedly sweet and honeyed finish. The ending is undoubtedly the best part of it all. However, the evaluation is affected by the price, which is exaggerated: the production process may be as difficult as you want, but € 160 for a 5yo is too much. I'm not Jim Murray that I don't think he pays for the whiskies he tastes, but he is certainly a tasting professional and therefore he is able to evaluate a whisky at best, while I give the marks if I like whisky or not: (but in the end What are we talking about? Jim Murray will also give high marks to whiskies he likes !!!) so to the question "would I spend those € 160 anyway after tasting it?" I would answer "no"..... ______________________________________________________________________________ Rivedo la mia precedente nota, arrivato ormai a metà bottiglia. Questo whisky è come Pulp Fiction: ogni volta che lo bevi, diventa sempre più buono.... Le note del tasting sono quelle, semplicemente inizia ad appassionarmi: sembra molto più vecchio di quello che è in realtà, e le sue particolarità che all’inizio me lo avevano fatto valutare 3,5, ora me lo fanno passare a 4,5. Un prodotto senza dubbio coraggioso, ma davvero valido. Forse a fine bottiglia arriverò a 5,0 di valutazione.... Qui di seguito la mia nota precedente: Che dire, definirlo particolare è poco. Whisky che mi lascia perplesso. La ultra torbatura in realtà non copre gli altri aromi. Al naso direi, oltre alla torba, benzina e gomma bruciata. Non quindi entusiasmante. Al palato l’alta gradazione all’inizio non si sente, per un whisky sorprendentemente morbido. Dolce, torta di crema e miele, poi arriva una stoccata chimica che lo rende un po’ amarognolo. Diciamo che sembra un po’ una medicina. Poi lingua e palato si anestetizzano e lasciano un finale incredibilmente lungo ed inaspettatamente dolce e mieloso. Il finale è senza dubbio la parte migliore del tutto. Sulla valutazione incide però il prezzo, che è esagerato: il processo produttivo potrà essere difficile quanto vuoi, ma 160€ per un 5yo sono troppi. Non sono Jim Murray che non credo paghi i whisky che assaggia, ma che di certo è un professionista dell’assaggio e quindi riesce a valutare al meglio un whisky, mentre io assegno i voti se il whisky mi piace o no: (ma alla fine di cosa parliamo? Anche Jim Murray darà voti alti a whisky che gli piacciono!!!) quindi alla domanda “spenderei lo stesso quei 160€ dopo averlo assaggiato?” risponderei “no”.....

Oily and peaty, feels almost gritty on the tongue in the aftertaste. Taste of new leather and licorice balanced with the peat. Beautiful smokey finish, very hard to tell it is 59.5 ABV.

Nose- Sweet peat, pineapple juice, seaweed, butterscotch, caramel, almonds, creamy vanilla, mushy banana (what a nose) Palate- Wave of spice, sea spray, heavy peat, oranges, lemons, butterscotch, and honey Finish- Long, spicy and mouth tingling finish with notes of peat smoke, lemons, sweet honey, and a bit of ash The tears on the glass are AMAZING. Like literal molasses in a glass. What a complex dram. The nose goes on and on and on and on and on. The palate has lovely peat with layers of citrus, sugared sweets, and seaside influence. The finish tingles the tongue, coats the mouth, and seemingly lasts forever. The finish wraps up with a little bit of everything... sweetness and peatness. This rocks