Bruichladdich Octomore 15.1 Scotch Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

The Scottish island of Islay is known best for its peaty whiskies. A joke about the island is that it is made of peat, and renowned for the flavorful nature of that peat compared to what lies to the west (in Ireland) or east (in mainland Scotland), so much so that it’s marine, island climate is overlooked in the role played in maturing the island’s malts.

Fifteen years ago, Bruichladdich embarked on a path to create ultra-peaty malt whiskies in its Octomore series. Yet the series is still a Bruichladdich, which means it is predominately grain-focused, relying on estate and heirloom varietals of barley to bring more character to younger whiskies.

Keeping those factors in mind, Octomore 15.1 is labeled as the foundation of 2024’s series. The Concerto barley in question was farmed entirely on the Scottish mainland, so it is not a particularly esoteric choice. That malt was peated to 108.2 PPM. This is keeping in mind that anything above 30 ppm is considered heavily peated by industry-wide standards, and over 100 would be quite heavily peated by Islay standards, but low for Octomore. The whisky was aged for five years in a mix of first-fill bourbon barrels and reused and re-charred ex bourbon casks, and bottled at a cask strength 59.1% ABV.

The Scotch
This golden pour actually does little to show all that PPM. I found the nose creamy, perhaps even buttery, with it’s sweet side definitely running to butterscotch, plus a note of vanilla. Alongside that was a current of dry wood and pepper. The flavor came on stronger and more developed, with the woody aspect falling to the wayside for the most part. The whisky delivered oodles of malty honey to the palate, with strong notes of sandalwood and cinnamon and a touch of ash. The finish opened with dry straw, but that dropped away fast and left a light, lingering teaspoon of honey and sandalwood.

The Price
This bottle is available at $205 and is the cheapest of this year’s trio.