Exposing the structural brilliance of our pure, unadulterated Octomore super heavily peated spirit, our 11.1 edition is powerful, understated and vibrant. Underpinned with a delicate balance of smoke and sweet vanilla from the ex-American oak casks, this single malt has spent just 5 years in contact with fresh first fill wood. The presence of peat on the palate is huge, and yet is incredibly balanced with clean fruit and floral notes. Distilled in 2014 from the 2013 harvest of 100% Scottish barley then filled into active ex-American oak, this high provenance, high peat single malt is a fitting embodiment of how quality ingredients demand less time to reach maturity.

Nose: A first whiff reveals cool, clean, citrus-flecked smoke. While the nose tickle is robust enough to keep my nose from going too deep in the glass, the aroma is clearly peated but in an understated, crisp, streamlined kind of way. There’s also sea breeze, lemon and lime zests, shortbread biscuits, and pale but fragrant malt. After a brief rest (and carefully venturing deeper into the glass), I find grapefruit, more lemon-lime soda, and subtle floral notes. The peat is present, but decidedly in the background. Definitely allow the glass to sit and develop, as it changes over time.

Palate: Lightly syrupy body. A blinding tongue burn, as expected, clears quickly to repeat a lot of the aroma notes, especially the lime and grapefuit. The peat is in the form of earthy campfire with crackling pine needles but, again, is in the background.

Finish: Very long. Now the peat takes over. Waves of mouth-drying earthy woodsmoke with vague bitter herbal notes – aloe? – continue through the finish, fading slowly along with a final flash of grapefuit.