Octomore 3.1 Ochdamh-mor (2010)
I’ve had this sample of the Octomore 3.1 sitting in my sample drawer for some time now. I’ve been hesitant to try it. I’m not much for the heavily peated whiskies, and Octomore is as peated as they get. On the other hand, as a whisky enthusiast, it is something you have to try at least once.
Well, that day has arrived. I poured this dram with great reluctance, I have to say. 152 ppm, why? Here goes nothing…
Octomore 3.1 Ochdamh-mor (59%, OB, 18.000 bts.)
Nose: Green veggies, wood smoke and salty seaweed. Some vanilla and also a fruity edge with underripe banana. The nose is gentler than I expected.
Taste: Ashy and rubbery with salt and a hint of licorice. A touch of lemon in the background. Very dry.
Finish: Lots of smoke and ash. Drying. Very long.
Rating: 85
I really wanted to hate this. But it is actually a good whisky. Not too complex, but that’s to be expected from a 5yo whisky. I can see why peat lovers would really like this (and probably score it higher than I do).
One more thing: the high ppm of the Octomore-releases has always felt as a marketing gimmick. And after finally tasting one, I still feel that way. It really doesn’t add anything, other than that it probably pushes some imperfections to the background.
Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.
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