Scotch Whisky Review #254-255: Rest & Be Thankful Octomore Sauternes Cask Duo

Images credit to /u/b1uepenguin, his website is here.

Distillery: Bruichladdich

Bottler: Rest & Be Thankful

Region: Islay

Price: Samples courtesy of /u/b1uepenguin

Cask Type: Sauternes Wine Cask

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Scotch Whisky Review #254: Rest & Be Thankful Octomore 6 Year Sauternes Cask (2007)

Age: 6 Year. Distilled on December 19, 2007. Bottled on November 17, 2014.

ABV: 64.00%

Color: 0.3, Pale Gold. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose: There’s a little bit of peat but for the most part, it’s fairly fruity. Canned pineapple and the associated syrup is what comes to mind. There’s something that smells a lot like a sweet cake as well, which leaves me with the image of pineapple upside down cake.

Palate: It definitely needs water. Thankfully it calms down very quickly with a few drops. There’s a little bit of peat and a little bit of malt biscuit. The main note, however, is tons and tons of honey. After a few sips, the pineapple syrup pops in as well. All of it is nice and warm, almost like having warm honeyed tea with biscuits.

Finish: Short. There’s a bit of peat and pineapple but not a ton. On the whole, it finishes leaving behind a clean sensation.

Final Score: 84

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Scotch Whisky Review #255: Rest & Be Thankful Octomore 7 Year Sauternes Cask (2007)

Age: 7 Year. Distilled on December 19, 2007. Bottled on August 12, 2015.

ABV: 63.90%

Color: 0.4, Jounquil/Ripe Corn. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose: Much like it’s younger brother, there’s a little bit of peat but largely fruity. Lemons are the name of the game this time, with lots of it to be found. There’s a light wafting of smoke as well.

Palate: Needs water even more than the other one. A few drops of water later, you’re left with a mostly fruity whisky. There’s a little bit of peat but it’s hardly there. Dried fruits in the form of golden raisins and dried apricots pop in. A note that reminds me oddly of activated charcoal also comes along. Notes of honey come along, especially as you go along.

Finish: Short. Charcoal and honey with more of that clean sensation..

Final Score: 83

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Conclusion: This might be the first time I’ve been able to try two whiskies distilled in the same batch and then being aged differently. At the very least, it’s probably the first time I’ve done so knowingly. This side-by-side has been really interesting! Both of them, despite the label “super heavily peated”, show only traces of peat. The Sauternes cask maturation comes through heavily in lots of honey. The 6 year edition, understandably, seems a bit simpler than the 7 year. However, I liked that one slightly better. It really felt like I was having a warm honeyed tea with biscuits whereas the 7 year lacked that clarity in mental image. Both of these are very good and I would be very happy to have either in the collection.

Scotch Whisky Review #254-255, Islay Review #34-35, Whisky Network Review #390-391

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.