Tasting Notes

Producing WhiskyCast has given me the opportunity to taste some really amazing whiskies, and I’m pleased to share my tasting notes with you here. You can search my entire database of tasting notes from this page, and I hope you’ll find it useful.

Dramfool Jim McEwan Signature Collection Octomore 2007

Dramfool Jim McEwan Signature Collection Octomore 2007. Image courtesy Dramfool.

Country: Scotland

Region: Islay

Type: Single Malt

Bottler: Dramfool

ABV: 57.5%

Score: 96 Points

This Octomore single cask comes from Jim McEwan’s personal collection of casks from his years at Bruichladdich, and it’s worth noting that as of this release, the distillery has never released an Octomore expression older than 10 years. This one spent 13 years in a first-fill Sauternes wine barrel, making it the oldest Octomore ever.

The nose is smoky, yet well-balanced with hints of heather, dried grass, green grapes and garden herbs. The taste…wow! There’s a great balance between peat smoke, barley sugar sweetness, green grapes, subtle spices, and dried flowers. The finish is long and gentle with a comfortable smokiness like that of a dying campfire. Water? Go ahead…it just makes the whisky even smoother! (March, 2021)