2026 Octomore (Bruichladdich) Edition 17.2 "Cask Aced: Bourbon & Port" Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Octomore's numbered releases are built as a set of experiments, and the .2 is traditionally where Bruichladdich begins to push cask influence against the clean bourbon-barrel reference of the .1. Edition 17.2 begins with exactly the same batch of 100% Scottish mainland Concerto barley as 17.1, peated to 81.0 PPM, but takes a radically different route through oak. The whisky spent four of its five years in second-fill French oak that had previously held Californian red wine and later bourbon, before a final year in first-fill Port barriques. Bruichladdich has never used this precise sequence for Octomore before. Bottled at 59.5% ABV, it remains unmistakably Octomore, but the smoke is wrapped in a darker, more vinous frame. Strawberry, blackberry and cassis meet peppery earth, while lemon zest and lime oil keep the fruit from becoming heavy. The smoke is initially less overt than in 17.1, but it builds steadily and remains profound beneath the berries and spice. Tasted beside 17.1, the value of the series format becomes obvious: identical barley and peat, transformed by an entirely different oak regimen. This is exactly what the .2 should be, not simply a finished version of the reference whisky, but a genuine cask experiment that changes the shape of Octomore without obscuring the barley or peat.