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Octomore

Octomore is a farm, near Port Charlotte, two miles from the Bruichladdich distillery.  It is also the name of a truly exceptional new malt - the worlds most heavily peated whisky ever.

The name Octomore is derived from the division of an old Islay estate into eight agricultural units or workable eighths.  In this case the ‘Large Eighth’. The Eighth of the Mill (Octovullin) is near Bridgend.

There was a distillery on the farm (now used as a holiday cottage) founded in 1816 by George Montgomery, who had it until 1840 and it finally closed down in 1852.  A gentleman called Thomas Pattison was also involved.  Yet in Alfred Barnard’s famous book written at the end of the nineteenth century there was no reference to it.

The farm now belongs to James Brown, Godfather of Octomore and man of many talents  (none of which includes being a soul singer) but lighthouse and holiday house keeper, farmer, piper and part- time policeman.

It is here that our invigorating spring is found which supplies the water we use for reducing the strength of the Bruichladdich bottlings from cask strength to 46%. 

Following the success of Port Charlotte, we thought the world needed to see the maximum phenolic content that could be achieved.  What would Bruichladdich’s tall-necked stills make of this – the most heavily peated malt ever?  Only one Maltings was able to rise to the challenge, and one load of this very peaty malt was delivered for distillation.  Originally we hoped it would be 60ppm, then it was rumoured to be 70ppm – but we were amazed to discover after analysis, that it was a staggering 80.5 parts per million! Rather fitting too, bearing in mind the name we had already chosen for it.

This most heavily peated version of Bruichladdich was born on Thursday 3^rd October 2002 and was christened Octomore, in memory of the long forgotten distillery.

And what have we created?  The tall, narrow-necked stills at Bruichladdich produce a remarkably sophisticated, elegant and floral spirit.  They have not, and indeed could not, produce a spirit of the style of Ardbeg, Lagavulin or Laphroaig, or more importantly, the medicinal flavours associated with these Southern Islay heavyweights.  Instead the stills have produced the most exceptional Islay hybrid – an extraordinarily heavily peated Islay nose with an incredibly refined spirit. And no medicinal flavours.   A tidal wave of a dram, with a satin mouthfeel - after several years of Islay maturation we believe this will be in a class of its own.

Octomore now accounts for roughly 12% of whisky distilled annually.

Now for all you whisky connoisseur's here is the actual readings as per Dr Jennifer Newton M.I.F.S.T of Tatlock and Thomson Scientific Services.

Analysis