Octomore Edition 04.1 / 4_167

Overall rating
86.82/100
votes
233
Whiskybase ID
WB24313
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Distillery Bottling
Bottling serie
Ochdamh-mor 167 PPM
Bottled
06.2011
Stated Age
05 years old
Casktype
American Oak
Number of bottles
15000
Strength
62.5 % Vol.
Size
700 ml 750 ml
Barcode
618105004542
Added on
05 aug 2011 7:31 pm
UncoloredNon-chillfilteredCask Strength

Average value

€ 507.88

55 × in wishlist

233 × member ratings

832 × in collection

Whisky reviews for Octomore Edition 04.1 / 4_167

23 users have left 23 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 86.82 points.

  1. hs305 scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    [November, 2018] I had this dram during a Jim McEwan tasting in Bonn...

    ...and this is a modern whisky that works pretty well. It is more balanced than most of the other designed stuff out there but still I cannot enjoy more than one such dram a night.
    • Nose
      86 86
      The colour is pale straw and the nose offers a rather shy peaty profile (compared to the PC8 that I had before this dram). After some breathing the peaty aromas grow stronger but actually they dominate all other flavours. This is way too simple and "designed" for my taste but I can imagine I will adore this dram when I am 86 years old (and both my olfactory cells and taste buds have almost quitted their job completely)...
    • Taste
      88 88
      The taste is somewhat more balanced with a nice barley sugary sweet and bitter-peaty combo enriched by some fine spices. The wood is just about right here and provides a sound structure to the taste. Water turns the dram smoother and more approachable but I like the "full throttle" of the neat dram better...
    • Finish
      87 87
      The initial mouthfeel is very hot and not really coating but with no major distracting moments either. The finish is long and gets sweeter towards the end what I like better. Luckily, there is just a minor drying feeling at the end (cold metals, ashes) that is not distracting.

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  3. grinface scored this whisky 86 points Expert Senior

    Not bad, but in a direct comparison with the 13.4 it clearly loses. Here the taste is the highlight for me, but the nose is almost certainly not. It also tolerates water very well. You can underline the maritime character with some drops.

    Full review alongside the 13.4 https://keinehalbendrinks.de/2023/02/08/what-the-hell-have-we-created-here/
    • Nose
      84 84
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      86 86

  4. Prof_Dr_John scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      86 86

  5. ailean scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      89 89
    • Finish
      88 88

  6. Whisky.Hedonist.MY scored this whisky 89 points Expert Senior

    Have to be the best Octomore I'be tried
    • Nose
      89 89
    • Taste
      89 89
    • Finish
      88 88

  7. Wolfe Tone scored this whisky 89 points Expert Senior

    Smell: thick peat, sea, weed and barbecue: fish with lime. In addition, wood, milk chocolate, coffee, earth, malt and barley sugar.

    Taste: Dry and full, peat smoke, sea, barbecue on one side and chocolate, coffee, almond, plum, citrus and biscuits next to it.

    Finish: sea, fish, citrus, pepper, nutmeg and soft smoke.

  8. TechnOBY scored this whisky 84 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      82 82
    • Taste
      85 85
    • Finish
      84 84

  9. dramidaris scored this whisky 84 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      86 86
    • Taste
      84 84
    • Finish
      82 82

  10. Thermidor scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    My personal favourite of the evening's lineup (see below). I'm stunned by how much flavor this 5yo can have without some obvious tacked on finish, and how I can't find any raw distillate markers (yeastiness, peat rubber, raw ethanol) in it. Bravo!
    Tasted with the following Octomores: 01.1 (85 pts.) 02.1 (84), 02.2 (84), 03.1 (82), and 04.2 (83). While 04.1 was my favourite, Nearly half of the attending tasters voted 02.2 their top dram of the night.

    Some interesting tidbits mentioned during the tasting: There are among other factors two pretty big ones for why Octomore's peat tastes the way it does. The first is that all the peat is from the mainland, as Octomore does not use Port Ellen maltings or Islay peat. The second is that Bruichladdich's stills are loaded only to around 60% capacity and driven very carefully, so there is a lot of copper contact going on, which explains why the whisky's stated PPM level does not translate directly to the level of peatiness you experience when nosing and tasting it.

    In retrospect tasting 6 cask strength Octomores was the most difficult tasting I've ever been in. If regular peated Islay whisky can at times provide magnificent detail and contrast comparable to the Dutch master painters, having nothing but Octomore feels like trying to replicate a Rembrandt with a paint roller. The loudness of the phenols and the tight ABV clog the senses, so I could only finish the glass I deemed the best, and had to let my overworked nose and palate rest after that. An interesting experience in total, but I don't think I want to do it again.
    • Nose
      White fruit and quality white winegums. Sweet pears and sugar. Stays fruity on repeat nosings, and there's some surprising notes of sultanas as well. I wonder what made it so fruity and sweet, but I don't complain since it works perfectly.
    • Taste
      Anise candy, lemon sweets, and pounding peat. Water amps up the peat punch and sugar. I love this. It's a small miracle for a 5yo.
    • Finish
      Lasting, sustained, with anise and smoke. Coagulates at the bottom of your mouth where the cheeks and the gums meet, and I can get some of the taste to come back by rolling my tongue there.

  11. lachaineduwhisky did not rate this whisky Expert Senior

    On the nose, peat obviously, powerful smoke, but which dissipates very quickly (unless it is my concentration that manages to disregard it) to deliver cereals, fruits, even a bit of honey. Oh, the cold ashes come back to the fore. In the mouth, apart from the burning of alcohol, there is also pepper and sugar. The finish is vanilla, sweet, always with these ashes. With water, (more than usual!), The aromas settle for a moment, then come back in force (after two additions of water, however!) With citrus fruits, also exotic fruits? On the palate, vanilla is highlighted. A lot of roundness for a 5 years! Enthusiasm 4/5

  12. ARDBERG scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    A full Octo experience - straight forward with some good wood. Hides its age well, just the superficial complexity tells a tale, even though the finish is mucho bombastico. For a giant smoking peater with malty sweetness, sweet vanillaed american (1st fill?) oak and maritime depth in the finish, this is the way to go. Much better than the x.1s of late though not worth the dough on the market 299Eu+.
    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      92 92

  13. helmutgw scored this whisky 75 points Expert Senior

    + H2O: more fruit, less alcohol + H2O: reasonably round but not exactly impressive
    30.10.2017 75
    • Nose
      Fruit, low alcohol, hardly any smoke G: A:
    • Taste
      Fruit, sweetness, alcohol, smoke - powerful
    • Finish
      long, so, a lot of alcohol, becomes bitter

  14. VaryingViewpoint scored this whisky 88 points Photo Moderator

    Light golden straw in colour. 

    Light sweat-peat, vanilla on the noise with no hint of alcohol whatsoever. 

    Very oily smooth and warm with sweat-peat, very light lemon-vanilla and musty light barley in the mid palate. No water added no alcohol burn or heat. 

    By far the lightest in both colour and flavour profile of all the Octomore's I've tried so far.

    Really nice dram for a not so warm summer night.
    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      87 87
    • Finish
      87 87

  15. Achany scored this whisky 86 points Connoisseur

    typical octomore. peat, peat and peat and beneath it sweet and spicy oak. 
    • Nose
      86 86
    • Taste
      84 84
    • Finish
      87 87

  16. GlenSikkes did not rate this whisky Connoisseur

    Tasting Notes by Jim McEwan, head distiller;

    Character: It is not just a case of tasting peat, peat and more peat. This is a strong, flavoursome, handsome, proud young son of the stills, with a warm, open, Gaelic heart - unconstrained by phenolic overload, untainted by additives, not stripped of his pride by chill-filtration - but made by real people with passion and rare skills. Discerning followers of this islands’ malt whiskies deserve nothing less.

    Colour: Primrose/Chartreuse

    Nose: Your anticipation is about to be rewarded: a heat-haze of peat smoke, bog myrtle, heather, wild thyme and juniper harmonise to lift the senses into a state of ecstasy. Next, a beautiful floral bouquet of yellow, riverside, summer flowers (primrose, buttercup, flag iris and wild lilies) waft by - the wind changes - and now the aromas are barley fields just before harvest, with sweet vanilla notes of Bourbon-soaked oak. As time passes, lemon zest and clover honey, slipstream on a cooling, marine breeze. It’s a hedonistic aroma explosion blowing your mind.

    Palate: The body is lean and muscular with the smoldering heat of a heath fire, just being held in check by the strength of the oak. This is a spiritual soul, unconfined, independent and master-less – Hallelujah! It’s only when you taste that you wonder how such a heavily peated spirit, at such a young age, can provide the extraordinary balance of aromas and flavours. The answer is slow distillation, the tightest middle cut ever, and maturation in fresh American oak casks next to the Atlantic Ocean..

    Finish: The finish is a very long and winding road of mellowness, ending on a beautiful sunset of smoke and fruit syrup. It’s 100% Islay DNA, the latest addition to the most heavily peated whisky in the world.

    Mood: Caber-tossing.

  17. Albaron scored this whisky 85 points Specialist

    A smoke bomb. Not as strong as the ppm number promises but clearly. Dry smoke, not phenolic. Pleasant and very sweet, lots of vanilla. Tasty, but still too expensive.
    • Nose
      some alcohol tingles in the nose, vanilla kipper, grapefruit, sweetness, smoke
      With water, the alcohol comes out even stronger, the pastry is gone, but the grapefruit is stronger and the smoke more present and sweet the alcohol is even more prominent, the pastry is gone, but the grapefruit is stronger and the smoke more present and sweet
    • Taste
      strong onset, alcohol, smoke, spice, vanilla, citrus, sweetness
      With water, the onset is significantly weaker, hardly any alcohol, the spice is more pronounced and the oak comes through more and the smoke is a bit stronger
    • Finish
      Smoke, vanilla and after a while even some oak

  18. HunterRomario scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    Depending on the content of PPM, I was expecting to be shocked by my phenols, and I was surprised by sharpness. It is a very good whisky, I can imagine more frequent sipping, she would be a good companion in the moody autumn days. Unfortunately, it's a good thing that you do not give it to another, or you'll feel it so long you'll have another whisky, and you do not need it any more.
    • Nose
      The first thing that struck me in the nose is the sharpness of alcohol mixed with earthy sweetness, such a sharpened Caolilian scent as I call it. Otherwise, peat, of course, and gradually, when I get used to it, some little citrus and the sweetness of forest honey. (86 b)
    • Taste
      A brutal explosion of sharpness on the tongue and in the bowels, perhaps because I have not drunk whisky for long, and after a summer break, and with a cold start of a new tasting season, of course I picked out the strongest whisky from the samples waiting for me at the whisky festival. A lot of peat, this could be expected when the phenol content is 167 PPM. There is also tar, and burnt rubber. Gradually, I squeaked and felt more sensations while listening to sharpness, sweetening earthy and sweet citrus. The flavor is extremely long. (88 b)

  19. srq did not rate this whisky Member Junior

    Just GREAT!

  20. markjedi1 did not rate this whisky Connoisseur

    The whisky is not as extreme as you would expect. The newest Octomore,
    the 05.1/1_169, has a ppm of 169, currently the worlds highest. This 04.1 will
    set you back 120 EUR, which is very expensive for a 5 Year Old whisky. But it is
    very good.
    • Nose


      While the peat is prominent (no, seriously), it also has quite some
      goodies in store such as vanilla, caramelized appels and Mrs Bridges Strawberry
      & Cream candy. That is nicely balanced with a seriously brackish hint of
      smoked fish. Prickly on the nose and very peppery indeed. Adding water gives
      you more ashes and smoke, but diminishes the sweetness tremendously.
    • Taste


      It is powerful and peppery on the palate with vanilla, citrus, sugar candy.
      At the same time it is enormously brackish. Loads of peat, upholstered with cod
      oil and olive oil. The second sip is much nicer. The fruit slowly creeps past
      the alcohol and peat. Water makes it, contrary to the nose, sweeter on the
      palate.
    • Finish


      How could the finish be anything but very long with so much peat and
      such an ABV. It remains sweet and very spicy.

  21. GLEN MAUR scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      86 86

  22. Melvin scored this whisky 89 points Expert Junior

    In the nose a nice fruit note - where is the smoke?!? When it comes to flavor, the alcohol first hits full, a veritable explosion. On the palate, smoke and peat remain very very long .....

  23. WhiskyNotes scored this whisky 84 points Expert Senior

    I wouldn't have guessed this is the peatiest dram around. Not sure why, but the first release seems smokier and peatier, on the nose as well as in the mouth. Even though it's not a bad dram, shouldnâ€
    • Nose
      The new one is hotter and sharper than the first release. I wouldn't say it seems peatier, on the contrary, the sharpness blocks some aromas and brings out a more biscuity side. It even seems younger (with more apple peel and synthetic sweetness). No ashtray blast, no garage smells. Some almonds, soft vanilla and herbal notes instead (heather, juniper). Rounder, more citrusy, more aromatic, but less smoky and peaty (yes, that may sound contradictory).
    • Taste
      Very clean, oily and intense. It feels like it has an anaesthetic effect? Tarry and grassy with a peppery hotness, but again a less mind-boggling intensity than Octomore 1.1. Heather notes again with herbal tea. Faint anti-septic notes. More plain smoke now, still accompanied by a slightly artificial fruitiness.
    • Finish
      Medium long, with a veil of smoke and the lingering candied notes.

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