Whisky Review 5 - Octomore 6.3 Islay Barley

The concept of Octomore is a simple one... To create a whisky using the most heavily peated malted barley imaginable. This Octomore in fact contained malt peated to a staggering  258ppm (or parts per million to you and me). Just to put this into perspective, Laphroaig 10 is peated to around 50ppm, and no I'm not missing any numbers there.

The brain child of industry legend Jim McEwan, Octomore is produced and distilled at Bruichladdich on the Isle of Islay an area renowned for it's big hitting peated spirit.

Another aspect that makes this particular bottle that little bit more special is that the barley used was grown and then distilled on Islay so this really is a Islay thoroughbred.

Malt Music

For me what works alongside this big, bold and yet tuneful Islay malt is something a bit different. The Talking Fish from Ibibio Sound Machine, a big hitting and fast paced Afro Beat 8 piece band from London. Singer Eno Williams concentrates lyrical content around Southern Nigerian folk stories which for me adds to this with Bruichladdich's approach to origin and belonging. Give it a try!