Bruichladdich Octomore Masterclass 08.3 5 Year Old Islay Barley (70cl, 61.2%) ***sold***
Ochdamh-mòr Masterclass 08.3 5
Initiation and provocation is followed by challenge. Growing barley on Islay is always difficult and yields are low. The autumn of 2010 was wet and windy. A late harvest saw Octomore farmer James Brown facing heavy losses from greylag geese and herds of wild red deer, resulting in a precious little yield. Malting the this Octomore grain produced results that were unprecedented, the readings came back at 309.1ppm. Following a carefully controlled trickle distillation, Octomore 08.3 was matured in 56% first fill Bourbon casks, the remaining in ex-Paulliac, Ventoux, Rhone and Burgundy casks.
Bruichladdich's Octomore expressions are know for being incredibly well-peated - but this one takes the proverbial biscuit and throws it out a window. The Octomore Masterclass_08.3 weighs in at a massive 309 PPM, making this the most heavily-peated Octomore to date! It was aged for 5 years in 56% first-fill bourbon casks, while the rest was filled into ex-Paulliac, Ventoux, Rhone and Burgundy casks.
Like its Islay neighbour Bunnahabhain, Bruichladdich has traditionally been an un-peated single malt, mostly owing to its requirements by the blenders who owned it. The last of these was Whyte and Mackay, who eventually shut it down in 1995, deeming it surplus to requirements. They sold the distillery to Murray McDavid in 2001, who launched the peated Port Charlotte and heavily-peated Octomore single malts in 2006 and 2008. A recommissioned Lomond still also now produces the popular Botanist gin there.