'An Iconic Speyside 2011' Octave cask 53.7% abv - Duncan Taylor

Bottlers notes: 

For many years, Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited has experimented in the use of differing cask sizes for the maturation of single malt and single grain scotch whiskies. This research stemmed from the simple premise that there is more interaction between the wood and spirit over a shorter period of time in a small cask than in a large cask, allowing a faster melding of wood, air and alcohol. The spirit in this bottle is an exclusive example of good whisky taken beyond all expectations to become rich, complex and wise beyond its years; it has been 'Octave Invigorated'

This Octave An Iconic Speyside has been aged for 10 years oak casks, it has then spent 9 months in Octave cask #2932119. Only 86 bottles came from this cask when it was bottled in 2021. Price £70

Tasting notes:

Appearance: Straw coloured, forms small beads followed by thin legs.

Nose: Light and elegant, lots of citrus, sharp green apple and floral notes 

Palate: An initial burst of citrus fruit, followed by cappuccino and a white pepper prickliness 

Finish: Medium length, creamy cappuccino notes slowly rolling off the palate

Summary: Sitting in a restaurant overlooking Lake Garda eating a tart lemon dessert, then following up with a well made cappuccino. This is a whisky with two very different sides, but both characters are so well formed that they somehow manage to work in tandem. 

It’s a fascinating dram, it plays tricks with your mind and really keeps you on your toes, but it’s also one that you just keep wanting to go back to. The distillery may be iconic, but this is such an unusual whisky I really can’t put my finger on which part of Speyside it comes from. 

This sample was part of a 5 dram tasting pack, purchased from The Spirits Embassy and was used for a Twitter tasting session with The Whiskey Chaps. 

We were joined on the session by Ian Logan of Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Ltd providing facts about the whiskies and the distilleries. A big thank you to Ian and The Whiskey Chaps for a great evening.

If you would like to know more about Duncan Taylor and their whiskies, follow the link to the company website

Transparency: No goods or other incentives were exchanged, offered or requested for this independent review.