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    Home » People of Whisky

    Published Oct 11, 2019 · Updated Dec 11, 2022 · by Tammy Spencer · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Bruichladdich's unpeated & peated lineup

    Jump to Reviews

    With Bruichladdich's unpeated & peated lineup, from their namesake line to Port Charlotte Heavily Peated & Octomore Edition series, there's a dram for every palate!

    Bruichladdich unpeated and Port Charlotte heavily peated lineup.this …

    Back in August I was treated to lunch and a scotch tasting with Jason Cousins, Bruichladdich's New England Brand Development Manager.

    He filled me in about Bruichladdich's Bere Barley 2010 and The Organic 2010 unpeated expressions, and expressions from Port Charlotte's Heavily Peated 10 and MRC:01 2010.

    We prepped our palates with a sip of Bruichladdich's Classic Laddie unpeated scotch, then stepped through this wonderful lineup. Jason gave me interesting facts about each offering and patiently answered all my questions.

    These drams paired beautifully with our seared tuna salad entrées and chocolate mousse and apple crumble desserts. Yes, two desserts...I'm livin' the high life!

    Enough about lunch, let's get to the tasting!

    Jump To: hide
    Bruichladdich's unpeated & peated lineup
    Bruichladdich Classic Scottish Barley
    Bruidladdich Bere Barley 2010
    Bruichladdich The Organic 2010
    Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 yr
    Bruichladdich Port Charlotte MRC:01 2010 Cask Strength
    And then there's Octomore...
    Octomore Edition Series
    Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 10.1
    Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 10.3
    Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 10.4
    Something for every palate
    Related Tasting Notes

    Bruichladdich's unpeated & peated lineup

    At Eastern Standard, Boston, hosted by Jason Cousins, August 7, 2019

    Bruichladdich Classic Scottish Barley

    50%ABV
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: barley, light ocean breezes, moss
    • Taste: soft entry, cereal, oatmeal, light brown sugar,
    • Finish: fades to baking spices and light brown sugar
    • Comments: very clean and pure, lots of grains and an easy sweetness

    Bruidladdich Bere Barley 2010

    50%ABV
    A barley variety from a single Orkney estate; a 6-row barley that grows fast but with less yield, and has more protein & less starch in it, 8 yr ex-bourbon cask
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: pineapple, peaches, floral, aromatic, vanilla and honey underneath
    • Taste: medium body, wehat, then cloves and allspice
    • Finish: allspice fades to peach butter and leather
    • Comments: fruit pulp emphasis with baking spices thrown in for good measure. Beautiful sip...needs to be savored

    Bruichladdich The Organic 2010

    50%ABV
    Single estate organic barley, Mid Coul, near Inverness, 8 yr ex-bourbon cask, entire process organic, matured on Islay
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: deeper, more robust barley aroma, date syrup, white chocolate
    • Taste: soft to spicy, vanilla fudge, honey syrup, rises to white pepper, reasted cereal, thick body
    • Finish: pears at the end
    • Comments: deep flavors of toast well balanced with orchard fruit sweetness
    Collage of Bruichladdich Classic, Bruichladdich Bere Barley, & BruichladdichOrganic in bottles.
    Our control of Bruichladdich Classic, followed by the new releases of Bere Barley and Organic Barley

    Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 10 yr

    50%ABV, 40ppm
    Uses Highland peat to get a Speyside type of flavor; blended from 65% first-fill American whiskey casks, 10% second-fill American whiskey casks, and 25% second-fill French wine casks
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: flower and forest smoke, vanilla
    • Taste: ash starts, pine, then orchard fruits take over
    • Finish: orchard fruits linger with cold campfire ash
    • Comments: gentle nose, not aggresive, fruity and ashy, dichotemy between Islay name and forest flavor

    Bruichladdich Port Charlotte MRC:01 2010 Cask Strength

    59.2%ABV, 40ppm
    100% malted barley fromn Invernesshire; aged 6 yrs in American oak and 1 yr in Boardeaux wine cask
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: barley first, cooked plums next, fruit leather, very light ash
    • Taste: light hot charcoal, blak pepper, allspice, cloves, not as much fruit
    • Finish: cloves linger, soft ash beneath
    • Comments: definately can tell this is cask strength, goes great with chocolate!; with water more pine and pineapple on nose, still have ash on the palate that fades to foresty ash, peaches, and an herbal note
    Collage of Port Charlotte Heavy Peated & MRC:01 scotch in bottles.
    Here comes the peat...the new Port Charlotte releases

    And then there's Octomore...

    Jason later invited me to a masterclass led by none other than Adam Hannett, Bruichladdich's Head Distiller. A personable fellow just to chat with, Adam educated us with his deep knowledge about the ins and outs of making what is, in essence, a craft scotch.

    In fact, the Bruichladdich Bere Barley and Organic expressions fall into that category as well.

    Adam Hannett, Bruichladdich's Head Distiller, looking at a glass of scotch.
    Adam Hannett, Bruichladdich's Head Distiller, imparting his scotch wisdom

    The Octomore Edition series is based on a specific goal in mind for each expression based on the type of barley and the type of cask used.

    A numbering system is employed as a guide so the consumer can know what is the emphasis of a particular bottle (see photo below). Because growing conditions change from year to year, each year's expressions have a unique flavor profile.

    The way Adam presented each whisky emphasized how the plan was to make a scotch singular unto itself, using vintage stills and small batch techniques.

    And boy, did they succeed!

    Octomore Edition series numbering system screen projection.
    Yes, those Octomore Edition numbers mean something.

    Octomore Edition Series

    At The Hawthorne, Boston, hosted by Jason Cousins, presented by Adam Hannett (Bruichladdich Head Distiller), October 2, 2019

    Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 10.1

    59.8%ABV, 107ppm
    Aged 5 yrs
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: honey, hay, barley, vanilla fudge, orchard fruits, citrus, smoke underneath
    • Taste: smoke hits, white pepper, honey, light peaches, candied lemon peel, oily body
    • Finish: fades to ash, wheat, subtle sweetness, candied lemon peel lingers
    • Comments: the smoke hits hard but very pleasantly, doesn’t burn so much as smolder with honey & candied fruit; well balanced between smoke, vanilla, & candied fruit

    Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 10.3

    61.3%ABV, 114ppm
    Islay barley from 1 harvest, similar to 10.1, looking for the terroir of the scotch, Aged 6yrs
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: peaches, clover honey, heather, no smoke just fruit
    • Taste: chewy, peaches, thick honey, a little savory with bbq sauces then smoke decides to show up
    • Finish: smoke rises at the middle to the end, mingling with that bbq sauce quality
    • Comments: think smoky peach bbq sauce on ribs; the smoke is complimented by the peaches, phenomenal! A wonderful representation of Islay, so drinkable

    Bruichladdich Octomore Edition 10.4

    63.5%ABV, 88ppm
    Aged 3 yrs in a heavily toasted French Virgin Oak cask
    Type: Scottish

    Tasting Notes

    • Nose: honey, oak tannins, cooked fruit, salty, deep caramel almost burnt
    • Taste: oily sweetness, then thick smoke & prunes, salty sweet
    • Finish: smoke & astringent fruits linger long and strong
    • Comments: almost like it’s from a sherry cask, high-alcohol almost balances the stong virgin oak influences; sea breezes on the tongue but not iodine, crusty salt & cooked prunes; drying in the mouth
    Samples Octomore Edition series 10 lineup in glasses.
    We're all ready to taste these wonderful Octomore drams.

    Mentioning Octomore either elicits cheers or groans from people. Their lineup bills itself as the world's most heavily peated single malt scotch. That label can be daunting, but even within Octomore Edition series there is variance and subtlety.

    All their peated scotch are eminently drinkable. This Octomore Edition lineup is truly worth seeking out.

    Something for every palate

    Many thanks go to Jason for including me in these two tasting events. I enjoyed this deep dive into Bruichladdich's unpeated & peated lineup very much.

    And just as when I got to attend a tasting with Kavalan Master Blender, Ian Chang, hearing Adam's talk about the making of Octomore Edition series was fun and informative.

    Bruichladdich's handcrafted expressions, whether unpeated or peated, certainly fit my palate, and hopefully yours as well!

    Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!

    Tammy

    Related Tasting Notes

    Scotland's whisky regions have such a rich and diverse array of flavor profiles and distinct characteristics from which to choose. Here's where you can find scotch from Islay I've reviewed in a lineup. Slainté!

    • Islay Scotch

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    Hi, I'm Tammy! My fascination with baking comes from my love of science and the magic of bringing together ingredients to produce something yummy. Coupling that with my appreciation of scotches and bourbons, I love to bake stuff, jot down my whisky tasting notes, and share my experiences with you!

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