Bruichladdich WMDIV: Yellow Submarine [Reclassified] & Octomore Black Art Redux

Bruichladdich WMDIV: Yellow Submarine [Reclassified] 

Region: Islay

ABV: 54.2%

Price: £100.00 

Released in 2026 to mark 25 years since Bruichladdich’s reopening in 2001, this fourth Yellow Submarine release is a 14 year old unpeated Islay single malt. Matured in a mix of 75 percent first fill bourbon barrels and 25 percent French red wine casks. No official outturn stated. 

Nose

The nose opens with lemon balm, green apple, kiwi, mandarin segments and the classic Laddie yogurt/lactic character. It's really quite sweet on the nose, lots of sweet fruits, caster sugar and a little overcooked shortbread too. The alcohol feels in good balance, there's a light ginger note in the background and a bit of must, but it's quite subtle. Time and air brings out more biscuitiness, it feels a little drier, more cakey, with some light red fruits, cranberries and currants. There's not too much of the wine cask character up front, but there's whispers in the background. 

Palate

The palate opens with a good amount of candied fruit sweeties, lemons, limes, apples and pears, even a little mango in the background. Overall quite sweet, and this lingers into the finish, there's no dryness to be found. We're also finding butter biscuits, custard powder and melon balls. There's a little more alcohol bite here than the nose suggested, a little peppery, but it's manageable. We're a little disappointed in the mouthfeel, it's just too thin for us, it doesn't have the mouth coating texture that we enjoy.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose moves into more bourbon cask influence, vanilla shortbread, butter, a handful of coconut shavings and some barley sugars. It feels like it's regressed somewhat - a little simpler and more youthful. 

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate maintains all of those sweet candied fruit flavours, but increases the vanilla, oak and biscuitiness, in a similar way to the reduced nose. The finish feels a little more acrid now, drier, slightly bitter. We definitely preferred this without water. 

Conclusion

We were lucky enough to try this at the Bruichladdich Feis Ile 2026 masterclass, and really enjoyed it, enough to buy a bottle. Coming back to this later, it feels a little lacklustre in comparison - how time and place influences experience. Saying that, it's a juicy, sweet and inviting dram, very drinkable, we just wish it had a bit more texture and oomph. 

Score: 7/10

Value

Given how legendary the previous Yellow Submarine releases have become, we are a little surprised the distillery did not try to charge more for this one.

Octomore Black Art Redux

Region: Islay

ABV: 54.2%

Price: £325.00 

Released for Rock’ndaal / Fèis Ìle 2026, this Octomore revives the Octomore Black Art concept ten years after OBA Concept_01 first appeared at Adam Hannett’s 2016 Fèis Ìle masterclass. A peated single malt combining Octomore’s high peat style with the secrecy of Bruichladdich’s Black Art series. A limited release of 2,500 bottles.

Nose

The nose opens with a real ashy, bonfire smoke, the peat is very much at the forefront here. Bonfire embers, barbecued meats and salty, coastal aromas mix into that lactic, creamy distillery character, with something a little deeper, richer in the background - Worcestershire sauce, dark chocolate and Arbroath smokies. The alcohol is soft, but the nose really does jump out of the glass, it's very expressive. Going back, we're finding some rancio, plums, blackcurrant jam and even a little pear as time goes on.   

Palate

The palate opens with a big hit of smoked fruits, strawberries, plums, dark cherries, moving into earthy dirt, and 90% dark chocolate. The smoke is more medicinal in nature now, some antiseptic and rubber gloves, alongside salty sea air, toasted cinnamon sticks and a lot of clove too. There's a nice oily mouthfeel, it's very mouth coating, and the finish leaves the peat smoke lingering prominently as you breathe in and out. There's also some spent coffee grounds that sit on your palate as the dram develops.

Nose (with water)

The reduced nose softens the peat somewhat, bringing more stewed fruits to the forefront, and some orchard fruits begin to appear too. Softer, sweeter, and a little drier - although we're getting a bit more of that lactic character coming through too.

Palate (with water)

The reduced palate mirrors the reduced nose, much softer smoke, much more upfront sugar - although that peat is still very medicinal in nature. The mouthfeel has taken a bit of a hit however, but there is still plenty of flavour behind - brown sugar, cherry and chocolate mostly.

Conclusion

Big, punchy, expressive - but still manages to stay in balance. Very much an Octomore, with a fair bit of cask influence that hasn't masked the peat, but instead complimented it. It's a one dram per evening type of whisky, it can be a bit overpowering on the palate, but that's a style that some really enjoy. For us, this is a 7.5/10 although some may rate it higher.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

As usual, this special distillery Octomore release is priced extremely high.

• 10 - Perfection. One in a million
• 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
• 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
• 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
• 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
• 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
• 4 - Below average. Passable.
• 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
• 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
• 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

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