A Guide to the Octomore Numbering System
- 3 mins
There are few hard and fast rules at our distillery. Commitment to our deep-rooted philosophy is non-negotiable but in certain circumstances, an underlying spirit of mischief is customary. We're prone to bouts of bizarre bottlings or an error here or there (like the one T in Hannett on the Octomore OBA tin). Regardless of our affable blunders and low-level chaos, we occasionally attempt reason and logic. When it comes to our Octomore series' numbering system, we've fallen into a rhythm over recent years.
.1
– Our Octomore .1 editions are distilled from 100% Scottish barley. They have been primarily aged only in ex-American oak, in varying percentages of either ex-bourbon and ex-Tennessee whiskey casks. They are the backbone of each new series as they demonstrate the raw character of the clean Octomore spirit balanced with the modest American oak influence.
.2
– Our Octomore .2 editions are distilled from 100% Scottish barley as per their .1 counterpart. Crucially, they are differentiated by a European oak maturation. Think along the lines of ex-Amarone, ex-Sauternes, ex-Austrian sweet wines and the like. Each edition has a different composition of casks; the decision is solely and utterly in the hands of the Head Distiller.
.3
– Octomore .3 editions are distilled from 100% Islay barley. They are single estate, single vintage bottlings distilled from barley grown on friend and farmer James Brown’s land. Octomore farm lies around two miles south of Bruichladdich Distillery. The name for the range originated from this farm, where the Montgomery family had an ill-fated distillery in the early 19th century. These whiskies are generally matured in a mixture of ex-American and ex-European oak, subject to change for each edition.
.4
– Our .4 edition was first introduced in our 7th series of the world’s most heavily peated single malt. The .4s introduce the influence of the tannic, spicey, brutishness of Virgin Oak. These editions can feature a Virgin Oak maturation that is combined with American oak, or occasionally give us a glimpse at full-term Virgin Oak maturation. Occasionally, just to keep you on your toes, we swap out the .4 with a Ten Year Old. Simple, no?
