Octomore 7.4

 

This is actually an older review that I meant to post back in 2018 or so, but it got lost in the shuffle. I came across it yesterday while organizing - Bruichladdich's Octomore 7.4. 

Octomore is the highly experimental super-peated (167 ppm, compared against Ardbeg's ~50-55 ppm) imprint of Bruichladdich, and 7.4 was bottled in virgin oak (!) for a somewhat complicated term of 7 years. Complicated because some of the spirit was aged for a short while in ex-bourbon and ex-French oak as well, hence the slightly older age - most Octomore is 5 years old. Bottled at 61.2%. How was it?

Nose: Closed at first, takes water and time to open. Very wood heavy, as you would expect - lots of sweetish tannins. Almost dry notes of cedar or mesquite planks? A salinity is here, too - rock salt? Peat, but not as much as you would expect. After a very long time in the glass (~30+ minutes!), you get bourbon vanilla and a little fruit, softly, but surely. Unripe banana, too. Not a particularly attractive nose. 

Mouthfeel: Very heavy. Typical Bruichladdich. 

Palate: Not much different than the nose, just more vibrant and alive given the high alcohol content; this is a real sweet wood explosion from the get-go. Peat and smoke infiltrate a ton of wood, some sticky vanilla, more banana, salt, dry pepper, and some baking spices. Maybe chili peppers? Something of a sweet BBQ sauce note at the end of the development. 

Finish: Wood and smoke intertwine for a medium amount of time. 

Verdict: This wasn't my favorite Bruichladdich offering, although I appreciate the idea of it. The virgin oak, even counterbalanced by the ex-bourbon and ex-French, dominates with strong peppery wood notes everywhere, which tends to overbear the fruit and vanilla, and initiates a certain dryness which I found a little off-putting. Takes a LOT of time to open up. I would like to try one of the X.1 series (pure ex-bourbon), but the price point of most Octomore hovers around $300, and I only bought this bottle because of a big closing sale at the DC outpost of my beloved Arrowine.