Bruichladdich Octomore 17 Series Bundle | All 3 Whiskies — 17.1, 17.2 & 17.3 | 3 x 700ml

Every year, Bruichladdich releases a fresh Octomore series and then, deliberately, never makes it again — each vintage exists once, built from one specific harvest of barley and one specific set of cask decisions. This bundle brings together the first three chapters of the 17th such series: 17.1, 17.2, and 17.3, three whiskies that share a philosophy but diverge completely in execution, offering a genuine, side-by-side tour of just how far peat, cask, and provenance can bend a single distillery's spirit.

17.1 and 17.2 begin from the exact same starting point — the same batch of 100% Scottish mainland Concerto barley, peated to an identical 81 PPM — and then split apart entirely. 17.1 stays disciplined, matured only in first-fill bourbon and American whiskey barrels, giving what LoveScotch calls "the clearest ex-bourbon-cask expression of barley, peat, citrus, vanilla, and roasted malt" in the whole series. 17.2 takes that same barley on a considerably longer road: French oak that once held Californian red wine, then bourbon, then Octomore itself, before a final finishing stage in first-fill port barriques — introducing, in the distillery's words, "a sweeter, fruit-forward contrast to the smoke," ripe berries and dark fruit layered over the same underlying intensity.

17.3 breaks from both of them entirely. Its barley comes from a single named plot — Irene's Field, on Octomore Farm, just two miles from the distillery — peated to a genuinely staggering 132.1 PPM, and matured across a five-cask cuvée spanning first-fill bourbon and second-fill Ribera del Duero, Sauternes, Eiswein, and Syrah casks. Master Distiller Adam Hannett put the whole point of this release directly: "you don't get a higher provenance whisky than this. We know the farmer, we know the field the barley was grown in... this is an elemental and expressive dram — powerful yet composed — weather-beaten, coastal and deeply satisfying." Tasted together, these three bottles trace a genuinely coherent arc — from Octomore at its most direct, to Octomore softened by fruit, to Octomore pushed to its single most extreme and specific expression. As LoveScotch puts it, this exact three-bottle set is "designed for collectors, gift buyers, tasting groups, and enthusiasts who want to examine how barley sourcing and cask selection change heavily peated whisky."

Bottle One: Octomore 17.1

Barley: 100% Scottish mainland Concerto | Peat: 81 PPM | Cask: First-fill bourbon & American whiskey barrels | Proof: 119.4 (59.7% ABV)

The series' foundational statement — the clearest, most direct read on this year's barley and peat, with nothing else layered on top. Official notes describe "layers of intense peat, bonfire smoke, roasted malt, citrus zest, vanilla, and earthy spice," unfolding "with remarkable depth and a long, warming finish."

Bottle Two: Octomore 17.2

Barley: 100% Scottish mainland Concerto (same batch as 17.1) | Peat: 81 PPM | Cask: French oak (ex-Californian red wine, then bourbon), finished in first-fill port barriques | Proof: 119 (59.5% ABV)

Same barley, same peat level as 17.1 — but an entirely different cask journey. LoveScotch describes it as "the most approachable sweet-smoke combination in the series," with "ripe berries, vanilla, oak, dark fruit, gentle spice, and a refined smoky finish" layered over Octomore's signature intensity.

Bottle Three: Octomore 17.3

Barley: Grown exclusively in Irene's Field, Octomore Farm | Peat: 132.1 PPM | Cask: First-fill bourbon + second-fill Ribera del Duero, Sauternes, Eiswein & Syrah | Proof: 121.8 (60.9% ABV)

The most extreme and most specific release of the three — single-field barley, the highest peat level in the set, and the widest cask influence. The Spirits Embassy's tasting found "salted caramel, smoked apple and toasted coconut, quickly joined by praline and vanilla cream," with "earthy and deeply charred peat" wrapping the palate "in dry, ashy smoke whilst citrus oils and salinity cut through."

Critics Reviews

No formal numerical critic scores are confirmed for these releases at this time — all three are very recent, current-year releases from the 17th annual Octomore series.

Adam Hannett, Master Distiller, Bruichladdich (on 17.3):
"You don't get a higher provenance whisky than this. We know the farmer, we know the field the barley was grown in, and we know this is going to be a dram that intrigues people with its peating level of 132.1 PPM."

LoveScotch (comparative series review):
"Choose 17.1 for the clearest ex-Bourbon-cask expression of barley, peat, citrus, vanilla, and roasted malt. Choose 17.2 for rich fruit, Port-cask sweetness, and a more approachable contrast between peat and dark fruit. Octomore 17.3 delivers greater peat, farm-grown barley, and the broadest cask influence."

The Spirits Business (press coverage, on the 17th series generally):
"Rémy Cointreau-owned Bruichladdich Distillery has released its 17th annual Octomore series using 'super heavily-peated barley' from a specific harvest and a variety of casks... described by the distillery as a 'pursuit of flavour,' [it] aims to 'challenge industry norms.'"

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