Octomore 6 Year (2008) Rest & Be Thankful Bourbon Cask

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Bruichladdich

Bottler: Rest & Be Thankful

Region: Islay

Age: 6 year. Distilled on 19th of March, 2008, and bottled the 19th of November, 2014.

ABV: 66.3% Cask Strength

Cask Type: Bourbon

Cask Number: B000005708

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/b1uepenguin.

Color: 0.7, Amber. Non-Chill Filtered and Natural Color.

Nose: Thick, peaty malt from the start. Not smoky, just very earthy and savory. It’s like biting into a massive malt biscuit with something savory slathered all over it. I’m sure there’s more to this but my mind just goes straight to the malty goodness and it smells absolutely fantastic. It is lightly grassy with a touch of citrus cleaner and the smallest trace of icing sugar.

Palate: Why hello there peat, how are you doing? It’s a peat bomb with tons and tons of it. It’s slightly sweet with a hint of citrus but mostly full of savory, smoky peat. With water, a little bit of the malt biscuits come out. There isn’t a massive change here but it takes the edge off ever so slightly.

Finish: Long. It’s quite smokey and peaty with smoked sugar and a bit of icing sugar.

Conclusion: When you think Octomore, you think of heavily peated whisky. This Rest & Be Thankful release absolutely delivers on that. It’s an absolute super-peat bomb from start to finish. Not being completely overrun by smoke, you do get a little more of the savory elements interacting nicely with the malt resulting in a nice treat. Compared to some of it’s sibling RB&T Octomores (like these Sauternes Cask ones or French Oak one) though, it does come across as a bit simplistic. Would I buy a bottle? Unlikely, given the price.

Final Score: 82.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

Unknown's avatar

Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

Leave a comment