Octomore -- worth the price?

And oh so many bottlings. Will you buy the right one? Do you want the straight or the wine finished version? I've been unable to pull the trigger on this one. Regardless of version, the price is at least 175.00 US. There are many, many more whiskies in line before a 5 year rapscallion at that price. Can the peat presence be that much more than Ardbeg 10? Laph CS?

But then, we all have our weaknesses. I have been eyeing the Laddie Black Art #3. 200.00. Is it worth it? As the buyer, we can only answer this question subjectively. Was it worth it? That is why I value the reviews here so much. We are consumers, not critics. For "bob's" sake, when you purchase an expensive critically lauded malt like this, give us your honest review! I trust my malt mates more than anyone else.

If you buy it, post a review. Let us know. I'll do the same.

@Onibubba Well said. Truthfully, I haven't posted any reviews yet... Though I've been thinking about tackling a few lately. If nothing else, there are a couple bottles in my cabinet that have no reviews on this site, so I thought I might try one of those first.

Come to think of it, that Bruichladdich 2006 would be a good place to start. It's not even listed on this site! :)

Pricey, yes, but oh, so good! I can't answer the "is it worth it" question for you, but I do not regret my decision to buy the 4 bottles that I have purchased so far. I've had, but now gone, both the 1.1 and the 2.1 version. I currently have the 2.2 which is open and the 4.1 which I haven't opened yet. I hope to eventually own the others (3.3, 4.2, 5.1 and 10). Everyone that I have shared any of the Octomores with, loved them, especially the 2.2 Orpheous which is finished in Bordeaux wine casks.

To determine if the price is worth it to you, if you have a specialty whisky bar in your area, I recommend shelling out the ridiculous price per dram at the bar as a more affordable way to try it before you buy it. I paid $38 for a dram of Black Art 2.2 to know that it was worth the price of the bottle for me. (FYI - Black Art is probably the most complex whisky I have ever tasted. Amazing stuff. There's a LOT going on in that one!) I also paid a hefty price for a dram of Golder Still in order to know that the cost of the bottle was worth it. I bought that bottle as well.

Hope that helps.

Forgot to mention, some of the specialty whisky bars offer half pours for a little more than half of the full dram price. I have done this to further reduce the per dram price in order to try something. They may not advertise the half pours, so be sure to ask if they do.

@HeartlessNinny Great discussion. I have tasted this whisky and reviewed it and if you look at my profile page you will see that it is my favorite. That said I also love peated whiskies. Keeping that in mind, there is greater risk that it will not be worth the price for those who don't like peated whisky since these expressions are heavily peated. Bruichladdich's PC series is in my humble non-expert opinion is both half the price and half the peat. Again great discussion hope this was helpful. :)

Great discussion! I just recently got to try the 2.2 Orpheus and I can say that it was BEAUTIFUL! Awesome little whisky that completely lived up to the hype for me. A friend of mine who is solely a wine drinker, despises whiskies, tried it and was immediately hooked to the point of asking about my blog and then a couple days later asking me to find a bottle for him. When I informed him he might have to pay up to $300-$400 a bottle he just cried a little bit and said ok. Mind you only you can decide where your purchase price is, but at $200, I'd say it's a bloody steal.

The thing I'm finding out about more and more young whiskies is that honestly it doesn't matter if they're young. We hear all the time about how older whiskies don't always mean better whiskies, but if you tell someone you shelled out $200 or more for a 5 year old whisky, no matter how awesome, they look at you like your crazy. The Kavalan's are absolutely brilliant and yet run 4 to 6 years old each, and would sit at around $250 to $300 for a cask strength bottle and are totally worth it, but the moment I tell someone how old the whisky is they look at me like I'm nuts!

Sorry to hijack the thread with a little rant about ageism in whisky, but yes in my opinion totally worth $200 a bottle, especially if you love peat!

@bwmccoy If only I had a good whisky bar in my area. The closest is in Nashville and they stock only the most pedestrian of single malts.

I do agree that age is not everything, however, when talking about age and price, we are talking about whisky that has occupied a barrel for a very long time, taking up valuable space, and losing quite a bit of its original volume to the angels. Because of that, I can understand the higher prices that often go along with them. So far as I know, and I could be wrong, this does not hold true of younger whiskies. So, why the higher price. Not saying they cannot be good, but why 200.00? Because we'll pay it?

Also, thanks so much for posting some comparisons between the various releases. The latest 5 year is available in Nashville for 170.00. Have not seen the recent 10 year Octomore anywhere yet. I think I can get my hands on a 2.2 during a trip to San Francisco this summer.

But first up for me will be a Black Art. Version III I think...Because it is older ;)

I would rather try the PC8 but alas it's sold out and bars don't stock Octomore or PC's. Portland has some great whisky bars but those bottles are not to be found. There are a couple of Octomores left in the liquor stores but I would put down more than $90 without tasting a whisky first. That's my first rule. And my second rule is sometimes there are exceptions to the first rule, but not very often.

Thanks for the input, everybody. I wish I started this thread when this whisky was still readily available... Ah well! I bet I can track down a bottle if I'm industrious enough.

@Onibubba - a couple of the reasons for the high price for Octomore is the relatively limited release (6,000 bottles for 1.1 and 15K for 2.1, 2.2 & 4.1) and that they won't be produced again (at least that version of it), but I'm sure the fact that we are willing to pay the price is a significant factor as well.

Where do you shop for whisky in S.F.? Not for price, but for some hard to find items, I can recommend The Whisky Shop downtown (www.whiskyshopusa.com). I've purchased a lot of my more special bottles from them.

Would love to compare my Black Art 2nd edition with your Black Art III. Shame we live too far apart for a whisky night. :-)

I have never seen Octomore or Port Charlotte in any store, but I just checked and there a place in DC selling 2.1 for 159$ and 5.1 for $170. The do ship...

"They" do ship...

@Jonathan They do, but only within the UK.

I found a local store that's selling the 4.2 for about $210. Definitely giving it some thought...

I couldn't find this one for the longest time here in Japan. And then just recently it's been popping up at a number of whisky bars I've visited. I've had it several times now and it is a fantastic whisky in my opinion. If you like peat monsters this is a must! Complex and moreish. Very different from anything else I've ever had.

@Jonathan Finding the elusive Octomore is part of the fun. Then the next part is deciding if you are someone who likes peat or not. If you do like peat then the next phase is to purchase, this is the one point that speaks to this discussion thread. The only real way to know if the Octomore is worth the price is to try it. Either through sample or straight out purchase of a bottle that's the only clear way for you to know. Hope this was helpful. :)

I am lucky enough to have bought and tried all but one (Octomore Futures 80 ppm, precursor of the 10 year old) expressions of the octomore bottlings. Due to my experience I recommend to try the Orpheus, Comus, and the 10 year old and if you are very lucky the Futures Beast which is the father of the Orpheus. Are they worth the price? You have to come up with your own opinion. I would say yes, if you are into this kind of whisky. Else it is just simply ridiculous to pay these prices for such a young whisky. Especially if you consider that in terms of perceptions of the peat the south coast Islay whiskies appears more powerful than in an Octomore (this is due to the form of the pot stills which are large in the south and narrow at Bruichladdich). Last but not least: Get one if you can...

Binnys.com has five different Octomores for sale and ships...the 2.1 release is even on sale atm for $149!

@lmann86 Wow, that's a great deal. I wish I could buy liquor and have it shipped, but sadly it's illegal here.

It also says you need a 'Binny card' for that price or some such. Even so, looks like a good deal.

@HeartlessNinny Yes it is a great deal. I drive from the frozen north to Binny's just to get Octomore. But as my profile states it's my favorite. Thank God it's only one of my admirals (wife) favorites. She loves her Caol ila 12yr. :)

Very interesting discussion - thanks for all your comments. The age statement debate will rage on and on I think. Age of course changes the characteristics of a whisky and as @Onibubba says - there is a practical reason why older whiskies are more expensive. But it is so very easy to fall into the trap of assuming they are therefore better whiskies. We reject this. One of the reasons for deliberately releasing young whiskies such as Octomore, Islay Barley, the Organic, Bere Barley, Port Charlotte Peat Project, PC5, etc, etc. is that in younger whiskies much more of the characteristics of the barley are evident. There is a delicious oiliness , a real connection with the raw materials, with the land the whisky has come from. With age, the effects of the barley diminish and the effects of the oak increase. We love exploring oak as I'm sure many of you will know - Black Art is a prime example - but at the very heart of our spirit is our barley, and to really let that shine through you need a different approach.

Btw, if any of you are trying to track down Octomore in the US, we do have a store locator on our website which will point the way to local stockists who may or may not carry Octomore. And if they don't, then the more you ask the more likely they are to stock it!

bruichladdich.com/whisky-shop/…

@Bruichladdich Welcome to the discussion! I'm going to have oodles of questions for you guys! :D The more I look at my collection the funny thing that I notice is a shift towards two ends of the spectrum. Young whiskies and NAS whiskies, and quite a bit older whiskies that would be 20 years or older. I love a good whisky and it doesn't really matter too much about the age, Kavalan, Talisker 57 North, Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix, Starward (2.5 yr old awesome whisky!), Ardbeg Corryvreckan, the Octomores, etc are all excellent proof of no age statements and very young whiskies shining. I think there is a really engrained thought process that I have a sneaky suspicion dates back decades that young whiskies are not very good, because when you go back 80, 90, 100 years you had distillers just trying to make a fast buck, because most people were drinking to get drunk, as opposed to drinking to savor the flavors and to see how the different barleys, oaks, yeasts, etc were doing with and to the whisky.

These days, especially in a community like Connosr, we focus much more heavily on the experience of drinking whisky, not the experience of getting drunk, but still at times, even in me, I do get a little giggle when I think that I'm purchasing a 40, 50, 60 year old whisky, but people need to realize that when you get ready to shell out big bucks on a bottle of whisky you need to do your homework and have a very good idea about what your buying, not just be buying it because it's old or expensive.

Btw I just got a chance to try your Octomore 5.1 the other night for the first time, very delicious, but I still think the 2.2 is my favorite!

@Bruichladdich I would like to say welcome as well. At the risk of sounding like a crazed fan at a Beatles concert, I am a big fan of yours, check my profile to see how much of your product fills my self. This is a big honor for me to send a message of how much your Octomore means to my admiral (wife) and myself. Thank you and God bless Jim McEwan. :)

@PMessinger - Ditto! :-)

Comus. That's what I want to try.

@Bruichladdich Now that you are here perhaps you could adress some specific questions about Octomore (which we LOVE). What drives the price of this excelent dram? Any possibility it can be produced/distributed at a price that would make it more affordable to a wider audience of whisky lovers? Our state in the US does not yet allow this wonderful dram to be sold here so we snag it every time we encounter it in our travels. It would be wonderful to have it more generally available. :)

@Bruichladdich I'm a big fan as well! It's what prompted this thread, after all. So let me say welcome as well.

At the risk of sounding like a gushing fanboy, I appreciate Bruichladdich's philosophy, and I think it shows in the final product as well. I don't mean to keep harping on about it, but the 2006 Barley Dunlossit Farm was a good example of that for me.

So ultimately, no, it's not about age. If it was, I wouldn't have even considered the Octomore -- but instead, for me it's a sought-after dram.

I have a more specific question about it, if you will: is there a new edition forthcoming? If so, when can we expect to see it hit the shelves?

Thank you all for your warm welcome - always enjoy the discussions here so a pleasure to be part of them. @PMessinger Octomore is a very complex dram - the peating levels are intense and very demanding, the middle cut has to be incredibly precise to get the balance between heavy peat and the lightness and delicate nature of our spirit, the very best casks are used and of course the bottling strength is cask strength of over 60% which pushes costs up more than most people realise. We intended this as a very premium exploration of the very boundaries of what we can do, something we continue to push and challenge with each new release. All these factors contribute to its pricing structure and we realise this does put it out of the reach of a lot of people. But we also believe utterly in pushing boundaries, even if that means ultimately more expensive whisky. The question is, would you rather a world with Octomore in it, albeit at a premium, or without? ;)

@HeartlessNinny - agree with you completely about the Islay Barley 2006, probably my favourite dram at the moment. Rich, oily, delicate flavours, all barley, all Islay. And yes, there will be new releases of both Islay Barley and Octomore later this year... watch this space...

@Bruichladdich Thanks for the answers to the questions. I'm good with Octomore in the world. However my admiral (wife) made me type those questions in order to enhance this discussion thread. She is better at these types of things then I am. :)