Octomore Masterclass 8.4 Virgin Oak 70cl 58.7°
For more than fifteen years, the experimental spirit of Octomore has been developing through new expressions. Octomore Masterclass 8.4 Virgin Oak is a variation of the 8th edition of the collection.
This new Single Malt was distilled in 2008 from barley 100% Scottish and aged for 8 years in new American oak barrels and in first filling barrels of Buffalo Trace whiskey, Clermont Springs, Four Roses, Heaven Hill and Jack Daniels.
The distillery surprises us once again with a powerful whisky and its new original combination. The peat leaves all the complexity of the aromas expressed with balance.
Octomore Masterclass 8.4 Virgin Oak is peaty at 170ppm.
*PPM - phenols parts per million, measuring the influence of the oily smoke peat infusing the germinated barley during the drying process. The longer the exposure, the highest the ppm value is. A well peated Islay whisky reaches a 40-50 ppm. But every whisky still develops its very own character and mouthfeel sensation, depending on the style of each distillery.
Volume | 0.7 L |
ABV | 58.7° |
Type | Single malt |
Distillery | Bruichladdich |
Country | Scotland |
Region | Islay |
Age | 8 years |
Maturation | American Oak |
Peat | Heavily Peated |
Packaging | Metal Tube |
Reference: | 23462 |
The peated whiskies of Islay are 30 to 45 ppm*. The first Octomore 1.1., released in 2007, is peated to 131ppm. And one of the last releases, the 6.3. is peated to 258ppm…
Jim McEwan from the Bruichladdich distillery recalls the philosophy by which the distillery crafted the Port Charlotte and Octomore whiskies: “When I asked Bairds, our Inverness malting house, to produce heavily peated barley, it was only curiosity. Just to see what would happen. I had in mind the taste of slow cold-smoked salmon, and I wanted to apply this to whisky. The barley took 5 days to dry… Then, I never asked to raise the peat level, this simply happened. Just like the waves on the sea, you do not always see the bigger ones rolling.”
A rare fact in Scotland, the Bruichladdich distillery uses an open mash tun. Its onion-shaped stills have a very flat base and a slender body. During distillation, alcohol vapours rise slowly, imparting finesse and elegance to the whisky.
With each release, Octomore has been developing even more depth and peated notes. Donald McKenzie, Octomore manager for the Dugas Company in France, deems that “Octomore is a technical whisky, a heavily peated, oily and powerful challenge but still extremely refined. It is a rare, excessive, exceptional whisky.”
The Octomore versions are classified by two numbers separated by a dot. The first number is the batch, the second one is an indication of the whisk maturation. 1 for 100% Bourbon casks, 2 for various cask types. 3 refers to the use of Islay barley.
*PPM - phenols parts per million, measuring the influence of the oily smoke peat infusing the germinated barley during the drying process. The longer the exposure, the highest the ppm value is. A well peated Islay whisky reaches a 40-50 ppm. But every whisky still develops its very own character and mouthfeel sensation, depending on the style of each distillery.