Octomore

In each new Octomore series, Bruichladdich Distillery sets out to explore the very limits of single malt whisky. Distilled with quality not quantity in mind, these experimental, limited bottlings continue to push the boundaries of whisky making. Exploring barley provenance, terroir, varying peat levels, and cask management, Octomore is an embodiment of Bruichladdich’s endless pursuit of flavour.

Head Distiller, Adam Hannett, sets himself his own challenge to create the unthinkable. Through each individual release, he invites you to consider the elements that contribute to the depth and balance of each drop of whisky. Is it the sourcing of raw ingredients? Is it the careful selection of the cask’s quality and style? Or is it in the influence of nature; weather, climate, and soil? Polarised opinions. Exposure to criticism. Complete rejection. All inevitable in the hopes of unlocking new realms of flavour and possibility. Those who join in adopting this mindset will reap the rewards for the risks taken.

With terrior at the forefront of everything Bruichladdich does, they label and trace, parcel by parcel, different barley varieties from different farms – and even different fields. They experiment with different varieties of conventionally grown barley separately, including the ancient Bere Barley. On Islay, an average of 19 farmers have grown barley for the distillery annually. Some of this barley has been distilled separately, some consolidated in order to explore a wide range of combinations and permutations. The remarkable uber-provenance whiskies that are now emerging from the warehouses are the direct result of this work.

Since 2001 the barley used has been 100% Scottish. Taking this pledge further, Bruichladdich now has a large portfolio of uber-provenance whiskies that are distilled from the produce of local Islay farms. Since their first foray into barley exploration 18 years ago, Bruichladdich have slowly built a fascinating catalog of barley-forward spirits. The conditions of barley growing on Islay are far from ideal, but Bruichladdich Distillery offered a diversified market and brought it to the local community’s doorstep. This approach to an Islay ecosystem, with a symbiotic relationship between agriculture and distillation, must be the future of whisky in Scotland.