Well well well, if it isn’t my favorite peated whisky. Delivered to my doorstep by the grumpiest FedEx man on the planet. Bruichladdich Octomore 7.3 Islay Barley. This one comes in at 169ppm (phenol parts per million). It could, and it should, rock your socks. Thanks to my new brother (from a different mother) Telex for this glorious sample. I absolutely love Octomore. I put that stuff on everything: from breakfast cereal to ice cream sandwiches. There’s nothing in this world that wouldn’t be improved upon by a little spritz of the Octo sauce. This release was no different. In fact, this one goes right near the top for me. All the crazy peat smoke, brine and medicinal notes you expect are there and in full effect. The part that wowed me was the extra sweetness from the wine barrel. It manages to make its presence known through all that crazy peat. And I love it. My love for peated, port barrel finished whisky grows every time I try a new one and this Octomore is the epitome of all that love. It all works so well for me. I don’t want to get into all the crazy tasting notes because, well, this is Octomore. If you’ve tried one you know about what you’re in for. This one just dialed it all up to 11 in my mind. I’d need to have a sample of all of them in front of me before I would ever try to dissect each one. What a glorious day that would be. A gigantic thanks to Jason for ponying up this bottle for our little group to sample. This one took the round for me. 5 triumphant stars! Cheers, my friends.