A viscous texture across the palate, the feeling is of densely smoked grain which comes through like smoked granola with honeyed fruit. A second sip brings the opportunity to decipher the complexity on the palate, with smoked apricot jam, barley flour, peat embers and burnt heather balanced with gooseberry citrus and sweet Turkish delight. Oak chips, sugared almonds and chocolate-limes with spicy aniseed comes toward the finish. A drop of water intensifies the smoke and brings out the minerality of the whisky.

Octomore 15.2 offers an intriguing and inviting comparison to its 15.1 counterpart.

Distilled from the same batch of Scottish grown barley and also malted to 108.2 PPM, the 15.2 uses a robust combination of second fill wine and second fill bourbon casks, with the spirit finished in first fill Cognac casks. This unique trifecta adds layers of intrigue, resulting in a complex yet exceedingly elegant single malt Scotch whisky. Hints of nutmeg, toasted oak and caramel add smoothness to the palate, with the delicate floral character of Octomore coming to the fore.

Peated to 108.2 PPM and distilled from 100% Scottish barley, matured in a combination of American oak, red wine, and French ex-cognac casks. This unique trifecta adds layers of intrigue, resulting in a complex yet exceedingly elegant single malt Scotch whisky.

Port Charlotte 10 year old has been conceived, distilled, matured and bottled on Islay alone.A young team with deep-rooted values, and an ambition to make the ultimate “Islay” Islay whisky. A whisky made by people not software; a whisky watched over every day of its maturing life by those who made it; a whisky born of a community with a vision and a mission to kick start a single malt whisky revolution.

Nose – The smoke is calmed by the marine, ozone character,
time has brought a balance, a harmony in the combination of oak, smoke and spirit. While the smoke is always discernible on the nose it is dry, earthy, peatash in its style and so allows the oak to come forward with waves of golden caramel, fudge, vanilla custard, hints of ginger, nutmeg and clove. There is citrus fruit, coaxed from the glass with a drop of water, gentle lemon meringue and clementine. Breathe deeply and the floral aromas of wild thyme, heather and sea pink bring you to this Atlantic coast.

Palate – On the palate there is a noticeable delicacy and softness in texture and style. Again, the balance of flavour is superb as the smoke wraps loosely around the sweetness drawn from deep within the oak. Coconut, vanilla custard, lemon honey combines with smoked oysters and sun baked salty sand.

Finish – The finish is sublime, smoky sure, but also the soft sweetness of fudge and malted barley, orange, mango and Banoffee pie hinting of the depth and quality of the oak. The many layers interchange on each sip. As the smoke comes and goes so too the notes of the spirit, ripe apple and apricot, beautifully intertwined with malt and oak sweetness and that typical Port Charlotte style dry smoke.

Character – Ageing for 10 years on the shores of Loch Indaal has had a profound effect on this spirit. Like sunshine on a winters day, this Port Charlotte 10 brings clarity and lightens the mood, welcoming and brightening the future.

The foundation for our Classic Laddie is not a recipe set in stone, but a distilling philosophy. We have no interest in consistency or uniformity, instead – year by year – the variety and provenance of our barley shapes our spirit, and an ever-increasing range of casks are sourced to evolve the suite of flavours in our warehouse. Each batch of the Classic Laddie will, by nature, be unique and subtly different, but it is ultimately our Head Distiller who curates this assemblage of our finest spirits, to showcase the classic, floral and elegant Bruichladdich house style.

CHARACTER – Smooth as pebbles in a pool. It’s clean, fresh and lively with both the oak and the grain in perfect harmony.

COLOUR – Sunlight on fields of early summer barley.

NOSE – The bouquet is brilliant. Opening with barley sugar and a hint of mint before leading into the most wonderful notes of freshly cut wild flowers; buttercup, daisy, meadowsweet, myrtle, primrose and cherry blossom. The cleanliness of the spirit is remarkable. As the seconds tick by, more aromas rise from the glass, little zephyrs of spindrift and sea pinks reminding you that this spirit is matured exclusively by the sea. After some four or five minutes and with the addition of a little water, caramelised fruits drift onto the scene; lemon drops and honey, tangerine and tablet.

PALATE – The palate entry is so refined and refreshing, the sweet oak and the barley arriving together sending the taste buds into raptures. The fruits from distillation drift in on an atlantic breeze and pop on the tongue like champagne bubbles. A combination of ripe green fruit, brown sugar and sweet malt bring closure. A taste back in time, a realisation that not all single malts are equal and to achieve the absolute optimum, you must use barley that is made in Scotland. Make this one the benchmark for all  others you meet on your journey through the stills of Scotland.

FINISH – Unforgettable! Its best enjoyed in good company, you just don’t want the evening to end. It brings warmth to the heart and soul. The clock slows down and the cares of tomorrow disappear into the dawn.

MOOD – Conviviality! Relaxed, enjoying the spirit in the glass and the laughter from tales often told but never tired of hearing.