During a time when efficiency took priority over quality, our distillery was viewed as outdated. Prior to its closure in 1994, our single malt accounted for less than 1% of all "pre-renaissance" whiskies still maturing in our warehouses. However, our older spirits have become highly prized and cherished. To honor the exceptional work of our predecessors, our head distiller, Adam Hannett, has meticulously nurtured the finite 1992 vintage on its 29-year journey through various casks. This unpeated spirit has been matured in top-quality oak and its recipe is kept highly confidential, as is customary with all previous Black Art editions. The 9th edition of Black Art is our most alchemic single malt and the oldest ever produced. It is the epitome of the Black Art series and is designated as Edition 09.1.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: The color is a deep russet.

Aroma: The fragrance is simply breathtaking, with tropical fruit, coconut, tobacco, oak spices, and toasted pine needles interweaving to create a complex aroma. Over time, this magnificent whisky releases waves of succulent mango, honey-drizzled melon, warm orange zest, grilled pineapple, and ripe summer strawberries. The scent is tantalizingly fruity and mouth-watering, with gentle oak nuances of coconut, ginger, buttery shortbread, vanilla custard, and a hint of tobacco.

Palate: The viscosity and depth of this dram are unparalleled. The tobacco and brown sugar notes of the oak provide the foundation for the superb fruit combinations to shine. A hint of water and a second sip reveal even more of the intricate layers of this remarkable whisky.

Finish: The luscious fruit sweetness lingers on the tongue for an extended period, with apricot, mango, and baked banana flavors, along with toasted sweet oak, honey, and vanilla. One never wants the experience to end.

Character: In creating this edition of Black Art, we were inspired by the efforts made in crafting the earlier versions of this series, where there was an unrelenting quest to layer flavor. This whisky rested in some of the finest casks, acquiring a delicate layer of fruit before being moved to a new cask. We carefully monitored and tasted it, seeking new directions with each new cask, until it reached perfection.

Octomore 12.2 follows in the footsteps of previous Sauternes legends, confirming that heavy peat smoke combined with the sweet dessert wine of the French region is an incredible pairing. And in parallel, it follows in the footsteps of the now infamous Octomore 4.2 (Comus), which became one of the most acclaimed and sought- after whiskies in our distillery’s portfolio.

Making a statement in its surprising pairing and balance of sweet and smoky, this Octomore 12.2 spent three and a half years in ex-American oak casks, building a solid foundation of fruity and floral spirit in our lochside warehouses before being recasked in to impeccable quality Sauternes casks. The pivotal role of the Sauternes casks add 18 months of supercharged fruit.
Melon, white peach, honeysuckle and coconut add a real twist and sweetness to compliment the peat smoke of this heavily phenolic malt.

TASTING NOTES

CHARACTER: The Sauternes casks bring another dimension to the vitality of Octomore. The honey-soaked fruit and dry smoke work beautifully together; that classic combination of smoke and sweet fruit coming to the fore.

COLOUR: Amber

NOSE: Notes of melon, honey and smoked almonds can be found on the nose. Toasted oak and earthy smoke are held back by layers of fruit and honey, opening up to orange peel, peaches, ripe sweet melon, lemon and honey - all wrapped in a malted grain sweetness. Dried apple and pear drops come next with a wave of peat smoke and toasted oak, releasing earthy and pine resin notes.

PALATE: Lusciously soft and sweet, fruit sweeps across the palate with bursts of lemon zest, vanilla, melon and orange blossom. Another sip highlights the structure the French oak brings with caramel, baking spices and a touch of dryness, carrying the smoke and the malt sweetness. The presence of ripe fruit drizzled in sweet syrup speaks of the influence of the Sauternes casks.

FINISH: On the finish, a salty lemon tang arrives as the fruit and oak subtly fade. Earthy peat smoke moves in to dominate the finish and stamp the Octomore DNA on this dram.

Octomore 12.3 is single vintage, single field, single malt. Raised in Church Field on Octomore Farm by friend and farmer James Brown, this Islay grown barley has been trickle distilled through our tall narrow necked stills just two miles from where it was grown. This terroir-driven spirit would take two separate journeys before being combined; 75% was filled into ex-American whiskey casks, while the remaining 25% spent five years maturing in genuine Pedro Ximenez Solera casks from Jerez bodega Fernando de Castilla. This Islay barley spirit has breathed slowly and delicately for five aged years, its salty citrus marine note resulting from the locale of where the barley was grown and our warehouses proximity to the sea. The Pedro Ximenez casks contribute sweet dried fruit notes which highlight the rich dry peat smoke of Octomore.

Introducing the newest Cask Exploration edition of our heavily peated Islay single malt, the Port Charlotte PAC:01 2011 demonstrates the versatility of our soft, barbeque smokey Scotch in the highest quality French oak casks. Two parcels of Scottish barley distilled spirit have matured for a minimum of six years in ex-American oak casks before being transferred to red wine casks from the Gironde left bank, north of Bordeaux. Bottled at 56.1% abv, this spirit showcases stunning spice and fruit notes. It is a rich and elegant, undeniably Islay single malt.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE: Lots of fresh, fruit aromas mingle with the dry peat smoke to entice you into the dram; from the oak comes spices – cloves, ginger and cassia, along with chocolate, toasted malt with toffee, brown sugar and delicate coconut and vanilla notes. As you nose again, the fruit notes of both the spirit and the wood come together – melon and citrus from the spirit and dried plums and raisin from the cask. The earthy peat smoke wraps around the fruit and spice and holds everything together, highlighting the wonderful marine and ozone notes that breeze through the dram.

PALATE: As the first drop touches your tongue, a wave of flavours sweep across the palate, the sweetness from the oak and malt lead, followed by the smoke, citrus and dried fruit notes. Another sip helps to order the flavours, and you find the oak notes, the dried fruit, marzipan and spice. Caramel and chocolate notes emerge alongside the peat smoke with its earthy richness. A little water opens the citrus fruit and marine elements and brings out a little more of the coconut and vanilla notes from the oak. The structure on the palate is firm and round and balances the depth of flavour of this whisky.

FINISH: The peat smoke comes through on the finish with a more medicinal phenol style. Coconut and floral notes waver, and a saline marine element combines with the earthy smoke in the classic Port Charlotte style. The oak’s softness and the minerality of the spirit become wrapped in smoke, a familiar signature to this dram.

CHARACTER: The depth of the oak and the harmony it creates with the smoke define this Port Charlotte cask edition’s character. Muscular and round in texture and flavour, yet with a typically dry, earthy smoke and marine breeze style, Port Charlotte.

COLOUR: Ruby.

Octomore 13.3 demonstrates the phenomenal force of flavour when combining super-heavy peat with the variable harvests gathered from the island of Islay, raised by friend and farmer James Brown on one singular farm.

Octomore 13.3 is distilled from barley grown on Islay, on one singular farm and demonstrates the phenomenal force of flavour when combining super-heavy peat with the variable harvests gathered from the island of Islay. This release is matured in a foundational parcel of first fill ex-American whiskey barrels and a supplementary selection of second fill European oak casks, hailing from the Rivesaltes region of France and the Ribera del Duero region of Spain.

Working with Islay barley is always a privilege. The ability to present it in a single estate, single vintage, single malt is perhaps even more poetic. From year to year, Head Distiller Adam Hannett works with the base spirit bestowed upon him by the grower, together with natural factors; the changing climate and weather system, agronomic yield and the terroir of the field itself. The European oak gives more subtle structure to the spirit, while the American oak allows the spirit to take centre stage. Expect vanilla and brown sugar, counterbalanced with fresh and round green fruit notes. The smoke is, as ever, gentle and dry, building to a long finish with hints of creosote and sea spray.

TASTING NOTES

CHARACTER: An Islay whisky through and through, the provenance of this Octomore expression is unrivalled. The complex flavour of the soil that raised the barley and the classic peat smoke define this whisky's character, speaking of the place it is from.

COLOUR: Barley straw

PALATE: A soft and delicate on the palate, sweet honey and brown sugar give way to a whisper of peat smoke. The second sip brings lemon rind and seashells, a delicate marine hint along with malty biscuit notes and marzipan and coconut. The peat smoke has hints of boot polish and ash but is gentle enough to allow the subtle floral malty notes to shine.

FINISH: The marine character develops and the smoke increases on the palate, honey and lemon with warm sand and marzipan. Final fruity traces of peach and stewed pears bring a little sweetness to the finish.

All Octomore .1 editions are distilled from 100% Scottish barley. They are primarily aged only in ex-American oak, in varying percentages of either ex-bourbon or ex-Tennessee whiskey casks. Acting as the backbone of each new series, Octomore's .1 releases demonstrate the raw character of the clean Octomore spirit, balanced with the modest ex-American whiskey influence - and offer a necessary comparison from which the other expressions alternate. After five aged years in first fill ex-American oak casks, our Head Distiller has offered a unique twist in this 13.1, having gathered and recasked the spirit in 2021 into yet more fresh, first fill ex-American oak casks. This final injection of flavour, taken from the interaction between the spirit and the oak, offers additional flavours of dark toffee, coconut and vanilla. This single malt is a testament to the trust our head distiller, Adam Hannett, has in the quality of his ingredients. Without more than patience and an understanding of how the flavours will evolve, this single malt perfectly personifies the courage of Octomore as a concept.

Octomore 13.1 is as youthful and dynamic as its super-heavily peated predecessors. Distilled patiently from the 2015 harvest of 100% Scottish Mainland barley, this single malt is malted to a stratospheric 137.3 PPM and matured in the highest quality American oak casks. All Octomore .1 editions are distilled from 100% Scottish barley. They are primarily aged only in ex-American oak, in varying percentages of either ex-bourbon or ex-Tennessee whiskey casks. Acting as the backbone of each new series, Octomore's .1 releases demonstrate the raw character of the clean Octomore spirit, balanced with the modest ex-American whiskey influence - and offer a necessary comparison from which the other expressions alternate. After five aged years in first fill ex-American oak casks, our Head Distiller has offered a unique twist in this 13.1, having gathered and recasked the spirit in 2021 into yet more fresh, first fill ex-American oak casks. This final injection of flavour, taken from the interaction between the spirit and the oak, offers additional flavours of dark toffee, coconut and vanilla. This single malt is a testament to the trust our head distiller, Adam Hannett, has in the quality of his ingredients. Without more than patience and an understanding of how the flavours will evolve, this single malt perfectly personifies the courage of Octomore as a concept.

TASTING NOTES

CHARACTER: Synonyms with the classic Octomore .1 style. Hidden peat smoke allows the floral, malty spirit and the sweet American oak to combine in perfect harmony, before dry, earthy smoke sweeps across the palate.

COLOUR: Golden Hebridean sands

NOSE: Initial impressions are of sweet nutty smoke, loaded with barley sugar and ripe fruit. Syrupy apricot and ripe pear along with malty vanilla notes of barley flour and Crème Brulee, honey and tablet. The American oak brings coconut, almonds and charred oak. The peat smoke is delicate but powerful and, along with the charred oak, brings out boot polish, leather and earthy notes.

PALATE: 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.

FINISH: On the finish the sweetness fades and an earthy, mossy note remains on the palate wrapped in dry heathery peat smoke. Salty-citrus and floral notes of geranium and rose come through calmly to round off another wonderful expression of the Octomore paradox.

Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2014 embodies everything an Islay whisky can and should be. As well as adding complexity and depth to this single malt, the Islay grown barley goes beyond just the pursuit of flavour - evoking a true sense of place.

TASTING NOTES

CHARACTER: With a quiet complexity, Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2014 showcases the delicate balance of fruit and smoke which the single malt is renowned for.

COLOUR: Light amber

NOSE: Malty digestive biscuits and peat embers open on the nose, followed by sweet vanilla and notes of honey, toffee and Crème Brûlée. As the whisky breathes its fruity character comes to the fore, with lemon rind and peat smoke rising from the glass, moving to grapefruit, ripe melon, peach and crisp red apple. Port Charlotte’s signature maritime note is offset with a touch of wood spice, nutmeg and cinnamon, showcasing the depth and complexity of this single malt.

PALATE: An initial citrus tang is followed by sweet ripe fruit and gentle peat smoke. A subtle marine character comes through, with this sandy minerality complemented with toasted oak. On a second sip, the balance of fruit and smoke is unmistaken, with a medley of apricot, peach and ripe melon delicately wrapped in charred heather and peat embers. The maturation in American bourbon barrels brings lightly toasted oak notes, with a hint of coconut, creamy marzipan and tobacco.

FINISH: Soft stoned fruit and toasted oak sweetness leave a beautifully balanced finish, while a subtle, dry barbeque smoke lingers.