“I’m looking out the window here, and I’m a stone’s throw from the sea,” Bruichladdich Master Distiller Adam Hannett tells us over Zoom, describing the importance the Islay distillery places on terroir. “Every cask we fill stays at Bruichladdich and matures for its whole life here, which is really, really important. As we are losing the angel share, we’re breathing in that wonderful maritime air—and that’s having an influence on our spirit.”
It is precisely this focus on terroir that has made Bruichladdich so beloved among scotch aficionados, as no other distillery releases a bottle using barley exclusively from the famed Hebrides Isle. Which is why Bruichladdich’s Octomore series tantalizes fans of single malt—especially those who prefer a smoky spirit—like Christmas.
For 2024 and the 15th edition of the series, Bruichladdich releases a trinity of offerings: Its 15.1 matures in first-fill bourbon barrels and re-charred ex bourbon casks, a nod to sustainability by finding new life in old barrels via the char’s flames. Then 15.2 initially ages in both second-fill wine and second-fill bourbon casks. After blending the whisky is finished in first-fill Cognac casks.
And then there is 15.3, our Spirit of the Week. What separates 15.3 from its Octomore brethren is four-fold: First, it uses exclusively barley from Islay—specifically Concerto barley grown on MacTaggert’s Field on the Octomore Farm. In fact the entire series was named after that eponymous farm, which was once home to a small distillery over a century ago.
Second is the unique wood combo in which its aged—a mix of first-fill bourbon casks and first-fill Oloroso hogsheads sourced from the Bodegas of Fernando de Castilla, in Jerez, Spain. Then third comes the punch: bottled at cask strength, Octomore 15.3’s lofty 61.3 percent ABV separates it from all its Islay peers.
And last but certainly not least: the smoke. Consider Octomore 15.3 the George Foreman of the peated whisky world, weighing in at a gargantuan 307.2 parts per million (PPM) on the phenolic scale. Compare that to Islay peers like Laphroig, Ardbeg and Lagavulin, which usually release expressions between 40-50 ppm. Never mind the other two bottles in the 15th series, which both measure in at a more restrained 108.2 PPM. Octomore 15.3 is the sort of whisky that coined the phrase “smoke monster.”
It is the second-most heavily peated whisky the world has ever seen—deferring only to the now legendary Octomore 8.3, widely acknowledged as the all-time super heavyweight champ at 309 PPM.
“Our Islay barley works exceptionally well with high phenol levels, and Octomore 15.3 balances intense peat smoke with our cereal-forward, malt-sugar spirit,” explains the young master distiller.
“Contrary to popular belief, we’re not looking to intentionally create the most super-heavily peated single malt whisky in the world, but rather create an extraordinary dram which demonstrates the perfect alchemy of peat, maturation, barley varietal and cask type,” Hannett adds. “And that’s Octomore 15.3 for me.”
Because of its potent ABV, Octomore allows the drinker to modulate to their own personal preference how much water they drop into the heady single malt. With even a few drops, the whisky’s soft texture comes out to play. Hannett points out whiffs of smoked toffee and malted barley sugar, and notes of dried fruit and orange zest. The series’ unmatched peat smoke then gives way to toasted coconut on the finish.
“If I’m honest, Octomore shouldn’t work,” Hannett admits as we sip our drams. “When you think about it, what we’re told is that the older the whisky the better; that peaty whisky is an acquired taste, you can’t just dive into it. If you think 40 PPM is heavily peated, what are we doing releasing something at 80 or 200 PPM?” he asks no one in particular.
“A whisky that is so peaty, so strong and so young is undrinkable, it shouldn’t work,” he admits. “But we need to forget about those kind of things—we need to just experience that whisky, we need to think about what makes a good whisky.” Find Octomore 15.3 at specialist whisky retailers for $280.
Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.