Absolutely gorgeous. Classic Octomore, with those big savoury and medicinal smoke notes, balanced by the rich fruit sweetness. It’s maybe the more complex of the two as well. The port and cognac casks give it this incredibly rich sweetness. There’s a fruit syrup note on the palate that’s just incredible. Stellar stuff.
Nose: Savoury and sweet. Salted-egg-flavour seaweed rice crackers, maple-glazed salmon, bandages, and iodine. Sweet barley, buttered sourdough toast, toffee, coffee chocolate truffles, candied citrus peel, and roasted red peppers. The red fruit comes out after a little bit, with some blood orange, raspberry yogurt, and strawberry ice cream. Some creamy tropical fruit joins after some more nosing. Smoked salt, rock quarry, and road tar.
Palate: Medium body. Baked apples, tart orange, fragrant cedar, browned butter, and woody smoke on the arrival. Something like a hard wine-soaked cheese. A blast of sweet tangerine, peach, and dark chocolate on the development, with fruit cocktail, plums, honey, demerara sugar, and nutmeg. Soot, dunnage warehouse, and pepper steak. Fruit chutney and salami to go with the cheese.
Finish: Sweet and syrupy. More salmon, tidal flats, and black pepper. Grilled citrus, peach nectar, lychee, dark chocolate, orange pekoe, craft cola, sugar cookies, and charred marshmallows.
