How come that these gems from Bruichladdich with a peat level of 208ppm are so smooth and gentle on the tongue? The Octomore range is famous because of its ppm, but we’ve tasted many peat canons with a much lower ppm that made you feel like chewing on ashes. This Octomore 07.2, not so much.

PPM stands for parts per million, in this case: phenolic parts. Here’s the clue: it’s not the ppm in the spirit that’s measured, it’s the ppm in the barley, very much in the beginning of the journey of becoming a whisky. So our guess is, that much of the smokiness is ‘lost’ during the process.

And what a process.. Bruichladdich delivers, big time. Every Octomore that we have tried, was a real treat. It’s deliciously complex while remaining crisp and clear. This particular Octomore has not only matured on bourbon casks, but also rested on Syrah red wine casks. A good choice, or rather not?

A wonderful dram, the sweetness of the wine casks work very well with the fresh and oily character. A whiff of peat smoke is there, but it’s very subtle and wonderfully integrated. This is where the beauty of Octomore as we know it lies: everything is complementary, nothing overpowers, while it remains a very powerful dram.