Bruichladdich Octomore 13.3 5 Year Old Islay Barley 70cl, 61.1%
Tasting Notes
Colour: Barley straw. This is taken directly from the official published colour note for Octomore 13.3 as reproduced by reviewed retailer sources.
Nose: Aromas of malt sugar and gentle peat smoke lead you into the dram. Layers of fresh green fruit come next followed by rose, geranium, apricot, and eucalyptus. Marzipan, ginger nut biscuits, and honeyed melon can also come through. This is taken directly from the official published nose note for Octomore 13.3 as reproduced by reviewed retailer sources.
Palate: 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, with malty biscuit notes, marzipan and coconut. The peat smoke has hints of boot polish and ash. This is taken directly from the official published palate note for Octomore 13.3 as reproduced by reviewed retailer sources.
Finish: Gentle, dry peat smoke develops into a lengthy finish with subtle notes of creosote and sea spray. This is taken directly from the published finish description for Octomore 13.3 in reviewed retailer sources.
Description
Bruichladdich Octomore 13.3 5 Year Old Islay Barley 70cl, 61.1% is the Islay-barley expression in the Octomore 13 series, a release style Bruichladdich defines as exploring the influence of barley grown exclusively in a single field on Octomore Farm, Islay. Reviewed bottle references for 13.3 describe this edition as distilled in 2016 from the 2015 growing season of Concerto barley and bottled in 2022 after five years of maturation.
What makes this bottle especially attractive is the way it combines Octomore’s famous super-heavy peat with real field-to-bottle provenance. Retail and bottle-database references identify the barley source as Lorgba Field and Irene’s Field at Octomore Farm on Islay, peated to 129.3 PPM, then matured in a combination of first-fill ex-American whiskey casks and second-fill European oak casks from Rivesaltes in France and Ribera del Duero in Spain.
Why Choose Bruichladdich Octomore 13.3 5 Year Old Islay Barley 70cl, 61.1%
Bruichladdich Octomore 13.3 5 Year Old Islay Barley 70cl, 61.1% stands out because it is not just another high-PPM Octomore. It combines single-farm Islay barley, a five-year age statement, full natural presentation, and a cask recipe that adds structure without overwhelming the spirit. That gives it a stronger terroir identity than many heavily peated whiskies that focus only on smoke intensity.
Ideal For.
This bottle is ideal for Octomore drinkers who want the Islay-barley side of the range rather than the mainland-barley .1 reference release.
It is ideal for peat lovers who enjoy vanilla, brown sugar, green fruit, citrus peel, marzipan and gentle maritime smoke in a high-strength Islay single malt.
It is also ideal for collectors building across Octomore editions and wanting the .3 expression from the 13 series with clearly defined farm provenance. This is an inference based on Bruichladdich’s explanation of the .3 concept and the bottle-specific production details for 13.3.
Product Details
Product Name: Bruichladdich Octomore 13.3 5 Year Old Islay Barley 70cl, 61.1%. This reflects the user-provided bottle title and reviewed bottle references.
Category: Super-heavily peated Islay single malt Scotch whisky. This is based on Bruichladdich’s Octomore range identity and reviewed bottle references.
Distillery: Bruichladdich Distillery. This is based on Bruichladdich’s Octomore range material and reviewed bottle references.
Region: Islay, Scotland. This is based on reviewed bottle references and the Islay farm provenance of the barley.
Series: Octomore 13 Series / The Impossible Equation. This is based on bottle references and your own current listing.
Release Position: The .3 Islay barley release in the Octomore 13 series. This is based on Bruichladdich’s official explanation of the .3 style and the bottle-specific naming.
Age: 5 years old. This is based on reviewed bottle references.
Distilled: 2016. This is based on reviewed bottle references and retailer descriptions for 13.3.
Barley: 100% Concerto barley from the 2015 growing season, grown at Lorgba Field and Irene’s Field on Octomore Farm, Islay. This is based on reviewed bottle references and retailer descriptions.
Peat Level: 129.3 PPM. This is based on reviewed bottle references and retailer descriptions.
Bottle Size: 70cl. This is based on reviewed bottle references.
ABV: 61.1%. This is based on reviewed bottle references.
Cask Type: First-fill ex-American whiskey casks with second-fill European oak casks from Rivesaltes, France, and Ribera del Duero, Spain. This is based on reviewed retailer descriptions and your current listing.
Presentation: Non-chill filtered and free of added colour. This is based on your current listing and reviewed bottle references.
Barcode: 5055807415422. This is based on reviewed bottle references.
Bottle Count: No confirmed public outturn was found in the official and reviewed secondary sources I checked for Octomore 13.3.
Collector’s Note
Bruichladdich Octomore 13.3 has strong collector appeal because it sits in one of the most distinctive lanes of the Octomore range: the single-farm Islay-barley .3 releases. Bruichladdich’s own range description makes that category important, and 13.3 strengthens it further with named fields, a specific harvest year, and a maturation recipe that is more layered than the straight bourbon-cask backbone editions.
It is also attractive because the whisky is easy to place within modern Octomore collecting. The numbers are memorable, the provenance is unusually specific, and the mix of American and European oak gives it a slightly more structured profile while still leaving the barley and peat at the centre. This is an inference based on the documented production details and published tasting profile.
Additional information
| Weight | 2.9 kg |
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