6.1 is probably the introductory Octomore. It is the cheapest (I purchased my bottle for $136) and most easily found. Caviar analogy: if Islay whiskies are fish eggs, Octomores are from the sturgeon, and the Octomore x.3 is the Beluga sturgeon; if you only have the funds to splurge on one bottle, you may as well go for the 6.3 or the 7.3, which are in the $200-250 range. Octomore 6.1 is solid, but a mere gateway to an expensive and heavenly range. NOSE: Sweetness, smoke, and brine in perfect balance! It is glued together by a rich buttery oiliness. This is what Corryvreckan wants to be. It literally smells like caviar. Campfire embers and gasoline are in the background. This is a tamed 167 phenols. The numbers are a gimmick, and are probably measured right after malting. It does not reflect the smokiness of the distillate. TASTE: The peat explodes. Bruichladdich believes in terroir, and it shows in their Octomore. Strong heathery, earthy flavors. There is smokiness, but also there is a taste of unsmoked soil. A good youthful profile of fresh barley and lemon zest emerges and lingers into a long finish. A long chestwarming feeling and aftertaste of hydrocarbons make you feel like you can light candles with your breath. WITH WATER: Nose gets sweeter and fruitier. Caviar and grape jam. Palate loses the explosion of peat, but you get more subtlety and iodine on the arrival, with a drying earthy ash taking over after a few seconds. VERDICT: Octomore publicity is based on extreme phenol levels and an “I-dare-you” variety of word-of-mouth. It is actually as sophisticated and luxurious as an Islay whisky gets, with so much more to offer than a proverbial peat-punch to the face. MARK: 94/100.