Kategoriarkiv: Bowmore

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Legend

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is lemon fresh and fruity. A layer of peat, mostly leather and smoke from a hot campfire, is sitting in between the fruitiness and the sweetness. The fruitiness is mostly lemon and star fruits and the sweetness is a classic mix of honey and vanilla. There is a thin layer of mint sitting on top. This is mild and easy on the nose.

Mouth: Bitterness hits the mouth directly and then it turns to the peaty notes and they are leaning more towards leather now. It’s salty and the fruitiness is still the same as on the nose but with some pinapple and grapefruits added. There’s a small hint of a dry oakiness in the back. The vanilla and honey is nowhere to be found. It’s still very mild.

Finish: A spike of fruitiness passes by and then the mint and peat takes over. The lemon note stays for a long time and surrounds all the other flavours. The oak starts to push through and brings a big bag of tropical fruits with it. The oak itself is dry and a bit muted. The last part of the finish is all about the fruitiness. This is not especially complex and it’s a bit too mild. It’s still a decent dram though.

Additional information
There’s not much information to be found on this bottling. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Gold Reef

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is tropical fruits in a leather pouch. It starts out very fruity with pineapples, mangos and a hint of ripe bananas. The leathery peat notes are subtle and sits with some honey and vanilla in the back. There is a savory, quite complex center behind everything else, which gives it a nice depth. This is very pleasant on the nose.

Mouth: A spicy note sort of slingshots in before the whole thing turns very fruity and quite dusty. It really shows some age with some dusty leather-bound books. The tropical fruits are still the main focal point and they are joined by some ripe red apples and lemon zest. It’s salty and got a small note of seashore residing in the back. It’s very mild and easy on the palate, yet still quite rich and with an oily texture. The oak do show up, but it takes quite the patience to find it and when it finally shows up it comes with a bitter note and a piece of milk chocolate.

Finish: A big burst of tropical fruits sets the pace. There’s smoke coming from a warm burning campfirein the back. It also still got a hint of leather. The oak comes slowly and settles down around the tropical fruits. It’s a very nice oakiness with a small bitter note to it. It’s a dusty, slightly astringent oak with notes of chalk, hazelnuts and old grey wooden planks. The salty note is still in there and the fruitiness stays for a long finish.

Additional information
This was released in 2014 as a travel retail exclusive. It’s primarily aged in first fill american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore Black Rock

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 2
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and fruity. At first there are tropical fruits mixed with raisins and dark chocolate. Honey, vanilla and black liquorice sits in the back and create a nice rich backdrop. A brigther note of red berries with some raspberries sort of comes and goes on top of the dark fruitiness. The peat manifests as a leather note and sits in between the layers of sweetness. The focus lies on the heavy sherry overlay.

Mouth: At first honey, red berries and a slight bitterness turn up. It then slowly changes into black liquorice, vanilla and raisins. There’s a lemon note surrounding the other flavours. The oakiness comes through together with leather and tropical fruits. It’s a nice oakiness with a slight bitterness that sits well with the other flavours.

Finish: A thin note of menthol passes by before moving directly into a big bowl of assorted tropical fruits. The oakiness comes through as well as the darker sherry notes and the leather, but the main focus is all about the pineapples and mangos and a slight hint of grapefruits. There’s a chalk note sitting on top of the oak in the finish and the oak is somewhat dry and bitter with some coffee and hazelnuts. There’s no astringency until after a few sips. This is very good for an entry level NAS travel retail release.

Additional information
Black Rock is the entry level of the travel retail exclusive range released in 2014. It’s primarily aged in ex-sherry casks. It was discontinued in 2017.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 18 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is leather and dark fruits. A mellow peatiness with leather and tobacco notes sits in the middle of a dark fruitiness with overripe plums and raisins. A row of old books and a tropical fruitiness (with a twist of lemon) sit in the background. The contrast between the dirrerences make this a complex nose. All flavours seem integrated and they fit nicely into the whole. The dark fruits become more pronounced over time and they bring a black liquorice sweetness. This is a fantastic nose.

Mouth: It starts out mild yet flavourful. It’s very sweet with the dark fruitiness up front. A lemon note shoots through the dark fruits and, together with a saltiness and the peat, it creates a complex sensation. The old books still sit in the back and after a few seconds the tropical fruitiness return. The peat is now leaning towards tobacco with a hint of burning charcoal. It becomes spicier with time. The oak is not yet present.

Finish: At first, it becomes very dusty and the age is coming through clearly. The darker fruitiness is immidiately toned down to make room for a brighter tropical fruitiness with pineapples as the main flavour. Within this fruitiness the oak slowly emerges. It’s a dry oak with a hint of walnuts and black coffee, but it still got a freshness to it. The bitter notes never really take over, they just seem to add another layer. In the late finish the leather returns. The tropical fruitiness stays in the mouth long after everything else has subsided. This is well made, and a great dram. It is a bit too mild, but still delivers complexity and a lot of flavours.

Additional information
This was added to the core range in 2007. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and ex-sherry casks separatly and then mixed together.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 17 YO – White Sands

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is Lemon and leather. The fruitiness soon turns into assorted tropical fruits and the leather note expands to include smoke from a warm burning campfire. There’s a layer of honey, vanilla and butterscotch, but it stays in the back seat. It shows some age with a somewhat elusive note of dusty old books. The fruitiness grows clearar as time passes and there are mango and pineapple found together with the lemon note. It grows sweeter and gets more of the vanilla with time in the glass.

Mouth: It’s very mild and honey sweet at first. The leather note comes through and creates a nice layer around the palate. In the center the fruitiness is even more pronounced than on the nose. It’s still a tropical fruitiness with mango, pineapple and lemon. It’s got a nice backbone of vanilla and a hint of butterscotch. The spicyness is lacking in intensity and never really picks up speed.

Finish: A whiff of the old books passes by before going back to the tropical fruitiness. It grows even fruitier and sweet over time and when the oak arrives it adds to that sensation. The oak is very pleasant and interacts well with all the other flavours instead of bringing a contrasts. It feels very well balanced all the way through and just about every flavour follows along to the now slightly bitter end.

Additional information
This was released in 2014 as a part of the distillery’s travel exclusive series. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels. It was discontinued in 2017.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 15 YO – Mariner

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and tobacco. At first there’s a ripe plums and raisins center and a peaty outer layer with notes of tobacco and leather. There’s also smoke from a burning hot campfire coming through. In the background there are seashore notes with salt and ocean air together with some assorted tropical fruits. It feels somewhat dry on the nose. With some time in the glass the sweetness moves forward and notes of vanilla and honey appear. This is a nice nose, with a nice dark fruity character.

Mouth: It starts out with an outer layer of lemon sourness and a very mild and sweet center part. It’s ashy and the peatiness is very different from the nose. There’s still a leather note and a dark fruitiness coming through, now together with black liquorice. There’s also the tropical fruitiness coming through and it moves forward after a few seconds. This gives it a nice transition from dark to bright. The oak is also noticable in the background, but it doesn’t intrude on the other flavours.

Finish: The tobacco notes return and show up together with a hint of the ashes and the raisins and plums. It changes rather quickly towards the tropical fruitiness once again and the salty background notes also reappear. It takes a short amount of time before the oakiness start to shine through and when it does it’s a nice oakiness but it doesn’t bring much to the table. The tropical fruits linger together with a mellow peatiness and a touch of seasalt. This is a great whisky which delivers a lot of flavour even though it lacks some power.

Additional information
This is a discontinued travel retail exclusive release from Bowmore. It’s aged in both american ex-bourbon barrels and european ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 25 YO

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is tropical fruits and leathery peat. The smoke is dry and feels like it’s coming from a hot, burning campfire. Within the smoke the age shows with old leather and dusty old books. It’s a sherry driven nose with dark fruits, such as raisins, dades and ripe plums, liquor soaked cherries, sugar and liquorice. There’s also a big bowl of tropical fruits coming through, with mangos, pineapple and peaches.

Mouth: It’s a mild and very fruity start with all the tropical and dark ripe fruits creating a very nice mix. There’s leather and dust, but the smoke notes are otherwise toned down. A maritime feel is lurking in the back (which mainly brings a hint of saltiness). A spicyness comes through after a couple of seconds.

Finish: The tropical fruits are dominating, which makes it feel younger than its age. It’s very vibrant and it takes a while, but when the oak finally shows up it’s like old grey planks that bring quite bitter notes with walnuts, espresso and toasted coconuts. It’s dusty and astringent. The smoke is still in there, but toned down as a nice base flavour throughout the experience.

Additional information
This 25 YO expression of Bowmore sits at the top end of the distillery’s core range. It’s aged in both american ex-bourbon oak barrels and european ex-sherry casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 10 YO – Inspired by the Devil’s Casks

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and new leather. The cask influence is extreme and seems to sit on top of everything else. There are raisins, figs, sweet liquorice, black grapes and a thick brown syryp and it almost feels like they are attacking the nose. Behind the dark fruity wall notes of new leather and smoke coming from a warm, burning campfire. It’s got a salty touch and a hint of lime is peeking through. There’s a cool mint piercing the thick sweetness.

Mouth: It starts out very thick and sweet. Almost immidiately a dusty oak note shows up together with leather. A black pepper spicyness arises slowly. There are dark notes of raisins, anise and liquorice within the dense sweetness. It’s slightly bitter and the mild leather and smoke note has taken a step back. The cask influence is still a bit too close for comfort. A bitter note and some salt is sitting around the edges. The brighter fruitiness normally found in Bowmores is nowhere to be found.

Finish: A big burst of red and dark fruits and some spicyness. The sherry notes are still very much the focal point and the same notes come marching through once again. The red wine with black grapes and a hint of blueberries are coming forward a bit more in the finish. It takes a long time for the oakiness to break through. It’s slightly astringent and very mild and never really steps up in front. A black liquorice note is left in the mouth long after everything else is gone. This is a very good whisky, but the previous cask content is a bit over the top.

Additional information
This is a limited release that was released in september 2016 as a travel retail exclusive. The main part of the maturation is done in first fill european ex-Oloroso sherry casks and then for a finishing period in ex-red wine barriques. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 18 YO – Deep & Complex

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: A very thick dark fruitiness with raisins, plums and ripe berries creates a thick layer covering everything on approach. Smoke coming from a warm burning campfire creates a nice setting together with a salty seashore note. A tropical fruitiness with pinapple and mangos sits in the middle with vanilla, lime and sweet black liquorice. The oak peeks through but it’s not pronounced. There’s a hint of menthol creating a freshness to the whole. It’s a pleasant nosing, but it feels like there’s a distance between the sherry overtone and the rest of the dram.

Mouth: It starts out very sweet and the vanilla steps forward at first. The texture is thick and oily and it shows its age with a hefty dustiness. There are both ripe and dried fruits together with fresh red berries and a lot of tropical fruitiness. It’s salty and somewhat astringent. The oak is old, grey and weathered. There’s almost no peat flavours, just a hint of leather in the background.

Finish: The finish starts out with a big bowl of tropical fruits and the campfire smoke finally returns. The oak is dusty and got some astringency to it. It’s still grey and weathered and there’s a hint of bitterness with walnuts within. The very long and pleasant finish carries all the fruity flavours all the way through. The menthol returns in the tail end and creates a veil over all the fruits and the oak.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2017 as a part of Bowmore’s travel retail range. It’s matured in a combination of ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore 15 YO – Darkest

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Islay
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is a big bowl of assorted fruits with a baseline of tobacco, leather and smoke from a hot, burning campfire. There’s tropical fruits, red berries and darker notes with ripe plums and raisins. The sweetness comes as white chocolate and vanilla surrounding the fruits. This is extremely pleasant and well balanced on the nose.

Mouth: Lemon sour approach with the leather and tobacco notes up front. It comes with some spicyness and a tiny amount of coffee bitterness. The ripe plums together with the tropical fruits are pushing forwards together with a speck of dust tagging along. It’s not as sweet as the nose would suggest. The oak can be noticed in the background. It’s not dry nor astringent, but brings the bitter tone to the mix. There’s also a salty caramel note laying as a thin layer on top of everything.

Finish: The darker sherry notes move forward together with the now refined tobacco notes. The tropical fruitiness comes as a wave rolling through together with some spicyness just before the oak finish takes over. The oak comes with espresso and the chocolate has now switched from white to dark. It’s a long finish which rewards the flavour seeker. All the fruitiness can be found over and over again all the way to the end.

Additional information
This Bowmore is matured for 12 years in ex-bourbon barrels and finished for 3 years in Oloroso sherry casks. It’s discontinued and has been replaced by a whisky only called ”Bowmore 15 YO” as part of the core range. It’s supposedly the same whisky.