Mash Whisky

Octomore 11.1 was distilled in the winter of 2014 using the 2013 harvest of 100% Scottish grown Concerto and Propino barley. It was matured in a combination of first fill ex-American whiskey casks from Jim Beam, Jack Daniel's and Heaven Hill for 5 years, before being bottled in 2020. 11.1 is malted to a hefty 139.6 PPM - that's a lot when you consider Laphroaig 10, another Islay whisky known for it's peat, is usually malted to between 40 and 50 PPM - but not quite the monster that some other Octomore editions have been known to be (for example 8.3, weighing in at a massive 309 PPM!). 11.1 is bottled at cask strength, 59.4% ABV, limited to 30,000 bottles and, as with all Octomore releases, is non-chill filtered and contains no additional colouring.

The Octomore branding and labelling, in my opinion, is some of the most succinct, clear and elegant on the market. Transparency is something Bruichladdich really do well - particularly so on their website. They make it very clear just what goes into every edition - even detailing the percentage composition of the casks selection, barley source and maturation location.

The 11th edition

Alongside Octomore 11.1, Bruichladdich (pronounced "brook-lad-ee"), the distillery which produces the Octomore range, also released an additional three variations as part of the 11th edition.

11.2 (58.6%/139.6 PPM)

Matured in a combination of 25% ex-red wine casks from Pauillac, France and 75% ex-American whiskey casks, before being finished in ex-red wine casks from Julien, France for 18 months.

11.3 (61.7%/194 PPM)

Matured very similarly to 11.1, but with the inclusion of casks from Buffalo Trace. The malt used in 11.3 is 100% Islay barley, grown on the Octomore farm, and is malted and distilled separately to other Bruichladdich releases, making this bottling a single field single malt.

11.4 / "Ten Years" (54.3%/208 PPM)

Matured for an additional 5 years in a combination of ex-American whiskey (the same as 11.3) and virgin oak casks. A total of 77 casks are used to mature the spirit.

Eye

Very light golden honey.

Nose

The light and crisp malt is immediately present, followed by typical bourbon vanilla and brown sugar sweetness. There's a little heat here too - white pepper and chilli. Coming back to the glass revels lemon and lime. There's BBQ smoke and damp ash - like a freshly extinguised campfire, a hint of TCP and rubber.

Adding a few drops of water almost completely removes the hints of TCP and highlights the heavy bourbon influence.

Palate

Crisp and light - just like the nose. The fruity sweetness become more prominent on the palate, notably the lime but I also found a little peach, too. Smokey bonfire toffee. Needless to say, at almost 60% ABV and 140 PPM, there's a big wave a earthy smoke and tongue tingling to navigate first.

Similarly to the nose, adding a few drops of water mutes some of the spicier notes and opens up the fruitiness.

Finish

Long, peaty finish. Spicy oak dries the mouth. Vegetal and light herbal notes linger amongst the smoke.

Overall

It's remarkable how drinkable Octomore is, given it's massive peat presence. The delicate balance of earthy savoury flavours combined with the sweetness from a relatively short (short for scotch, anyway) maturation period in ex-American whiskey casks makes for surprisingly gentle but still very fiery whisky experience - one that I'd definitely recommend. Similarly to many other high proof whiskies, this dram changes over time, so I'd recommend letting it sit in the glass for a little while and maybe experimenting with a drop or two of water.