Bruichladdich Distillery Unveils Octomore Series 16

The latest single malt Scotch whisky series features experimental peating levels, cask exploration and a single estate expression from barley grown on Octomore Farm, Islay.

NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2025 - Bruichladdich Distillery has today, September 2^nd, launched its highly anticipated annual Octomore series. Octomore is a ground-breaking Islay single malt brand which continues to confound the whisky industry year upon year. The 16^th series is a powerful line up featuring sky-high PPMs, traceable barley and a unique selection of fine casks from all over the globe.

Octomore’s signature smoky profile is unlike the traditional ‘medicinal’ peated whiskies Islay is famed for, with a dry, campfire smoke that belies its high phenols. Considered by the distillery to be ‘The Impossible Equation’, Octomore is designed to push the boundaries of whisky making, challenging consumer’s ideas about age, peating levels and near cask-strength ABV.

“Octomore exists to provoke and challenge”, says Bruichladdich Distillery Master Blender, Adam Hannett, “something that is on paper so polarising, it shouldn’t really work – it’s too young, too strong and too peaty - hence the Impossible Equation. But with each new Octomore expression, the spirit continues to surprise and delight with its depth, its campfire smoke and its incredible flavour profile.”

There are three expressions in Series 16, each layered, complex and ever changing – evolving further when left to breathe or through adding a drop of water.

The start of the Octomore journey, 16.1 provides the reference point for this series’ unorthodox experimentation. 16.1 is crafted using 100% Scottish Mainland Concerto Barley, malted to 101.4 PPM and aged in cask for five years, with an ABV of 59.3%. This elegant liquid is matured in first fill bourbon barrels, bringing intense peat smoke with surprising delicacy. Salted caramel, honeyed melon and apricot are followed by chocolate and coconut, accompanied by a soft wave of earthy minerality and lingering smoke. Octomore 16.1 is priced at $204.99.

Octomore 16.2 invites you further on the journey, providing an irresistible comparison to 16.1. This expression uses the same distillate as the 16.1, has been aged in cask for five years and bottled at 58.1% ABV. The 16.2 has been housed in a fine selection of Oloroso and Bordeaux casks before being finished in Madeira and Portuguese Moscatel for a rich and complex flavour. Caramelised sugar, roasted nuts, and dried fruits abound, enveloped in sweet smoke. This is the first time this combination of casks has been used in an Octomore expression, demonstrating Adam’s ability to constantly innovate; “We have an unparallelled selection of casks available to us and it’s important to continue to experiment and push boundaries.” Octomore 16.2 is priced at $244.99.

Octomore 16.3 is a showcase of single farm, single field and whisky making. The archetypal Octomore liquid, this is produced, in its entirety from barley from Octomore Farm. Continuing the Series 16 odyssey, this ultra-high provenance single malt whisky explores the influence of barley grown exclusively in Church Field on Octomore Farm, Islay. A symphony of honeyed malt, toasted grain and a distinctive earthiness meet delicate threads of smoke and salinity. 16.3 has been aged five years full term in Bourbon, Sauternes and Pedro Ximénez casks with the Islay barley malted to 189.5 PPM and bottled at 61.6% ABV. Octomore 16.3 is priced at $279.99.

“The locally grown and harvested Islay barley takes the spirit in another direction,” continues Hannett. “For me, whisky should evoke a sense of place, and the earthy, cereal-forward notes of Octomore 16.3 speaks of its island origins.”

Each Octomore single malt Scotch whisky has been conceived, distilled, matured, and bottled on Islay. The spirit is un-chill filtered, contains no added colour and has been brought to strength using Octomore Spring water from Islay.

Octomore Series 16, including 16.1, 16.2 and 16.3, is available to purchase online at and in specialist whisky retailers from September 2nd, 2025. Prices for the Octomore Series 16 start from $204.99.

About Bruichladdich Distillery

Bruichladdich Distillery is situated on the Hebridean island of Islay.

Bruichladdich Distillery is home to four unique brands:

Bruichladdich, unpeated Islay single malt Scotch whisky
Port Charlotte, heavily peated Islay single malt Scotch whisky (40PPM)
Octomore, the world’s most heavily peated Scotch whisky series (80+PPM)
The Botanist Gin, the first Islay Dry Gin

The distillery was first established in 1881 by the Harvey brothers. It survived through periods of closure including world wars and economic uncertainly, only to be closed for seven years in 1994. The closure left all but two redundant.

The distillery was reopened by Mark Reynier, Simon Coughlin and then Head Distiller, Jim McEwan, in 2001. The team breathed new life into the community by keeping as much of their operations on Islay as possible - a legacy which continues today. They installed an on-site bottling hall in 2003, first grew Islay barley in 2004 (now making up over 50% of annual production in 2024) and have since added additional warehousing to ensure all single malts are conceived, distilled, matured and bottled solely on the island. Bruichladdich Distillery is one of only two distilleries on the island (which is home to nine working distilleries in total) to make these claims.

The independently owned Bruichladdich Distillery was purchased by luxury spirits company Remy Cointreau in 2012. They continue to invest in the values of the business, in being Islay-based, and in the local community.

In 2020, Bruichladdich became the first Scotch whisky company in the world, and indeed the first whisky and gin distillery in Europe, to receive B Corp certification. In 2023 the distillery successfully completed the mandatory B Corp recertification process, scoring 100.7 points (increasing its inaugural Impact Score by 21%). The next recertification will take place in three years (2026).

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