Octomore Ten Years Dialogos

Super peaty finish. The smell is rich and complex. Some balanced burn with lots to unpack. Toffee, some apple acidity. Not a gimmick, but fills its niche perfectly.

Very sweet not bad but not the typical peat

Aroma is sweet but not in an overwhelming or cloying way – more like darkly dessert, fruity, cereal sweetness with earthy touches wrapped in smoke; Palate is lovely and fruity with dark sweets and a sticky BBQ style smoke layered over roasted fruit; Finish lacks complexity but hits that charred smoky road we love.

It’s 2020. It’s December. Let’s shut this year down with a brand new whiskey (or whisky) every day. It’s my own personal whiskey advent calendar. +6! Dec. 16, 2020 This whisky sample was given to me by @PBMichiganWolverine so a big shoutout to that guy, because spoilers: I enjoyed the hell out of this one. Hope to repay your kindness one day. Dat nose tho. Wow. If I have ever noted beef before, I take it back and give it all to this. Beef jerky, Slim Jim’s, fresh slow-cooked pork barbecue. This nose is what it means to be a carnivore. I love this. Body hits with a perfect delivery of the nose. Sometimes peat can taste like more smoke than meat, but this is pure meat. It’s rauchbier, beef stroganoff, a hearty vinegar-based Carolina BBQ. Finish is the first place that I’d say a smoke element distinguishes itself from the meat. It’s not cigar smoke though (which I typically don’t care for). This is charcoal smoke, grill smoke. Mild rubber, but the meat and smoke are the dominant notes. It’s also noteworthy that this finish fades faster than other heavy peat whiskeys I’ve had before, like Lagavulin. I don’t think of that a weakness, just something to note. I’m concerned I’ve missed something, not because I feel something is lacking, but because I just typed the words “beef” and “meat” a collective 7 times. Based on my knowledge of “oak walls,” I could intuit there being flavors behind this “peat wall” that I’m too novice to detect. That said, if this is a one-trick pony, I’ll say it again, I like this trick. I’ve never had anything like this before, and later this week I’m going to try to track down a bottle from this distillery. Edit: I added a splash of water to the last few sips. A sweetness developed in the body, possibly apple. I could even go so far as to call that a tangy note now. Fascinating! Edit 2: I have already called my bourbon enforcer to inquire about Octomore. He’s acquiring me two different bottles from that distillery, next time that distribution happens! ‘Tis the season. I’m day-to-day on my whiskey selection, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments. Merry whiskey to all, and to all a beer flight!

Nose: heavenly. So rich and complex. Smoked meats, frosting, peat overload, berries and cream, apple crisp. Palate: so rich. Insane depth of flavors. Hard to even pick apart what is going on. Peat is earthy and thick, chewy. Rich creme brûlée, chocolate notes, marzipan, camp fire, bbq, roasted almonds. Finish is long and rollercoaster of flavors. Lingers heavy. Stays with you forever. Breathing smoke. Fantastic bottle

Tasting the Octomore 10 years - The Outlier 09.4/167 ppm/56,8%. Nose: really not as peaty as I was expecting “the highest ppm whisky” to be. Actually really pleasant and smooth. The peat also isn’t chemical or plastic-like. It is more thick and sweet. But it has a cold and wet earthyness to it. I like it. There also is a lingering fruitiness as well, with sour apples plus some fresh cucumber and bitter walnuts. Interesting is a wet fermented straw smell. Palate: also not as peaty as I was anticipating. It is really hot and keeps on maintaining a hot chili burn into the quiet long finish. The taste itself is good though. Very creamy sweet like hard milk caramel sweets. But now - yeah - the peat is definitely something. But it can be handled very easily and gives you enough room to “see” the actual whisky-flavors behind. After adding water it becomes a lot more drinkable and even more enjoyable. In fact dangerously drinkable and delicious. Watering it down really keeps the hot burn in check and releases even more sweetness. That was unexpected. I like it. Did I mention it is really sweet. My goodness - I didn’t know whisky can be this sweet. I actually would rate it higher if it would be less sweet. But this level of sugary sweetness after adding water is insane.

Fantastic!