Octomore 10.1

Octomore 10.1, 5 YO, 59.8 %

OK, here we have the Octomore 10.1, not to be confused with any of the 10 YO expressions in the Octomore series. Yeah, the naming/numbering scheme hit a major hiccup at this point, but who cares. We will figure it out.

The Octomore 10.1 was distilled in 2013 and bottled on 2019-07-01. It was made using malted barley peated to 107 ppm phenols. This release was limited to 42000 bottles.

The official blurb goes partly like this:

“Deliberately stripped back to an ex- American oak maturation, aged just 5 years old, the .1 edition exposes the structure and presence of the Octomore spirit.”

The Octomore 10.1 is available to buy in Norway at NOK 2096 (11401001), in Sweden at SEK 1649 (4070901), and in the UK at around GBP 125.

Nose: Raw, naked and hot as - well, something that is politically correct to call hot - like the sun, or summer days in Sahara, or Jennifer Connelly. Surely Jennifer is still PC? Soft, sweet, wood smoke (yeah, I know it says über peated, but it does not come across as all that). Vanilla, hints of sawmill and toasted oak. Orchard fruits and ginger.

Taste: Rich and full bodied. Ginger and vanilla. Lots of soot and sweet, fruity ashes. Milk chocolate. Earthy cinnamon.

Finish: Medium long finish. Peat and vanilla now. Hints of tropical fruits. Quite mild mannered towards the end. Bubble gum.

Comment: Enjoyable, but not quite reaching the top of the Octomore series.

Score 86/100

Sláinte!
-Thomas