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Bruichladdich Octomore 12.3
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Distiller:
Bruichladdich Distillery
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Bottler:
Bruichladdich Distillery
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ABV:
16.2%
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Age:
5 years
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Price:
$$$$$
- Raided Score: 91
- Publication: SpiritSurveyor
- Excerpt: I love the intricacy of the fruit coming through playing with the ex-bourbon and the peat. Really delightful stuff here.
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- Raided Score: 94
- Publication: Rob Report
- Excerpt: This whisky underwent a double maturation—75 percent of the liquid in ex-bourbon barrels and 25 percent in Pedro Ximinez sherry casks, both for five years, before being married together. The sherry influence—though it is the smallest part of the equation—is immediately evident here, with warm spice and fruit notes that slightly dominate the citrus and vanilla from the bourbon barrels.
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- Raided Score: 95
- Publication: The Whiskey Jug
- Excerpt: Water does lighten it up a bit by bringing the fruit a bit more forward, but the layers of dark sweetness and earthiness never relent, and I love it.
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Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
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Intro:
"Octomore 12.3 is single vintage, single field, single malt. Raised in Church Field on Octomore Farm by friend and farmer James Brown, this Islay grown barley has been trickle distilled through our tall narrow necked stills just two miles from where it was grown. This terroir-driven spirit would take two separate journeys before being combined; 75% was filled into ex-American whiskey casks, while the remaining 25% spent five years maturing in genuine Pedro Ximenez Solera casks from Jerez bodega Fernando de Castilla" -- that's quite the story from Bruichladdich here and it's wildly exciting. I'd love to see more PX make it's way into "Octo-land" and am eager to give this a go. Let's dive in.
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Nose:
Beautifully fragrant, floral, packed full of lemon curd, blueberry cobbler and vicious peat. Light, charcoal smoke, meat on the smoker, pork-y.
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Taste:
Rich on the palate. Loaded with viscosity, rich and syrupy. Honey, toffee, creme brulee, acrid smoke and death by the sea. Crushed stone, lemon lime soda, and bold, aggressive, punishing peat. The proof is dialed in extremely well, and there's no doubt that the smoke and peat manifests itself in every note on this palate.
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Finish:
Long finish, rich and savory. Meaty, powerful and lingering. Lemon curd, vanilla bean, creme brulee and ashy, wood fire.
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Overall:
Incredible, potent, aggressive and balanced at the same time. This is a masterful demonstration of playing extremes and somehow finding balance.
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Score:
8
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources