Berries arrive first, warm and dense like jam straight from the pot. Then the smoke drifts in, slowly, the way embers flare when a grill gets some air. Octomore 17.2 is malted to 81 ppm and should smell like a fire station, yet the Port casks have slipped a velvet glove over the whole thing.
Expert description
Octomore 17.2 is a 5 year old Islay Single Malt Whisky, matured in French oak casks, finished in Port barriques and bottled at 59.5%. It comes from Bruichladdich and is the second release in Octomore Edition 17, this year's instalment of the distillery's super heavily peated series, which went on sale on 1 September 2026.
17.2 and 17.1 begin in the same place: one batch of 100% Scottish mainland Concerto barley, malted to 81.0 ppm. After that the two part ways. 17.1 spent its entire life in 1st fill bourbon casks. 17.2 took a more winding road through the wood.
For the first four years the spirit sat in 2nd fill French oak casks that had held Californian red wine and then bourbon. The final year was spent in 1st fill Port barriques. According to Bruichladdich, Octomore has never been matured in that exact combination before.
The casks put the fruit at the front of the queue. Red wine oak and Port bring strawberry, blackberry and blackcurrant, while the smoke turns drier and more like embers than medicine. The distillery itself describes less smoke on the nose but smoke running through the whole structure. The whisky is non-chill filtered, free of added colour, matured entirely on Islay and reduced with Islay spring water.
Tasting notes
Nose
Ripe red berries and a soft, jammy sweetness. Raspberry and blackcurrant preserve, floral hints of Turkish delight, toasted oak, clove and aniseed. The smoke is dry and recalls the embers of a wood fire more than phenols. Behind it sit barley flour, fresh linen, leather and a touch of coastal iodine, and with time coconut and ginger appear in the glass.
Palate
Supple and viscous. It coats the tongue at once with wine-poached berries and spiced fruit: strawberry, blackberry, cassis, then barley sugar and dark syrup. The peat builds slowly, peppery and earthy, while lemon zest and lime oil brighten everything. Oak tannin and a steady warmth keep it balanced.
Finish
Long and round. Raisins, toasted oak and sweet malt slide into dry, salty, maritime notes and a little char. When the fruit has faded, peat smoke and gentle spice remain.
Specifications
Name: Octomore 17.2 Islay Single Malt Whisky
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 5 years
ABV: 59.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 2nd fill French oak casks, previously red wine and bourbon, finished in 1st fill Port barriques
Peat level: 81.0 ppm
Barley: 100% Scottish mainland barley, Concerto
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: 2026
Edition: Octomore Edition 17.2
Flavour profile
Heavily peated · Berry fruit · Port-influenced · Spicy · Maritime
Did you know?
Ppm is measured on the malted barley before distillation, not on the whisky in the bottle. Still, it is a useful yardstick: according to Whisky Advocate, 17.2 carries about twice the peat of a Port Charlotte 10 and roughly four times that of a Highland Park 12.
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