The Winner of Grapelines Best Whisky of 2015 is the Octomore 6.3.
By Lou Marmon
December 2015
Released in 2014, it is the first of the experimental Octomore series to be created with barley grown entirely on Islay. At 258ppm, the 5 year old Octomore 6.3 is the Bruichladdich Distillery’s most heavily peated whisky. However those words belie what is actually happening in the glass. Master distiller Jim McEwan’s brilliant creation displays its peat as a background chorus that enhances rather than obscures a beautiful symphony of complex scents and flavors. It opens with floral, sea-salt, toffee, citrus and earthy, peaty aromas that meld into an array of flavors including vanilla, stone fruit, fig, bittersweet mocha, cedar, and toasted nuts all accented by cinnamon, mint, baking spices and the underlying peatiness. An amazing dram.
