It Ain't The Peat, It's The Motion

Too much Octomore is never enough! From left: 15.1, 15.2, and 15.3. (Photo by Bruichladdich/Remy Cointreau)

Sure, you can taste how peaty a peated whisky is, but there’s another, more scientific way to figure it out, and that’s by measuring the phenol levels in parts-per-million. And by that yardstick, Octomore — made by the folks at Bruichladdich on the remote island of Islay — is far and away the most heavily peated whisky, not just in Scotland but in the world.

Of course, going around bragging about your whisky’s phenol levels is kind of like going around bragging about certain parts of your anatomy which you measured with a ruler, careful to record every last eighth of an inch. But what makes Octomore a truly great whisky isn’t the phenolic levels, it’s that the folks who make it know what to do with them. It ain’t the peat, it’s the, um, motion. Or something. So while you may think a glass of Octomore may taste like the inside of an un-emptied ashtray after a party on a Saturday night, you’d be way off base. Along with the smoke and salinity and earthiness, you’ll find complementary notes of everything from rich fudge to tropical fruits. This year’s trio of Octomores (they always come in threes) are the 15th series to see the light of day. I haven’t tried all of them but I’ve never had a bad one, and some of them are among the finest whiskies I’ve ever tasted.

One of this year’s bottlings is the second most heavily peated Octomore ever made, which is to say that it’s the second most heavily peated whisky ever made, period. Which one is it? And what’s the deal with the other two? You’ll just have to read my writeup in Forbes to find out! Link is -> HERE <- .