I know I said I was gonna have some Bruichladdichs today, but as I now only have some crazy high strength PCs and some very old Laddies I think it might be a bit too weird a setup for a vertical. This means I'm instead doing a 2012 premiere with these Bowmores, one oldie and 3 youngsters.
Bowmore 21yo 1973-1994 43% OB
This should be amazing, I don't think I have ever been let down by a Bowmore distilled prior to 1980's. Where did they go wrong??? Well, at least they are now improving a bit with some nice batches, the Tempest being one of my highest recommendations if you are looking for a quality Bowmore fairly priced. Light bronze color, smells musty, peaty, phenolic, some sherry notes definitively, tannic, a bit acidic, cinnamon and mustard. Splendid! I'll give it some time to settle down even if the initial nosing was rather superb. Time opens it up a bit and it becomes a bit lighter and more perfumy. The taste is not the cleanest I've ever had, still musty and perfumy, also earthy notes, salt damp, beef stock, not much sherry influence left, neither any peatiness that I can detect. All in all it's a downward spiral from here on and out. The finish is grainy and light, not much going on now. It's a good malt, don't get me wrong, but it just doesn't display the same volume on the palate as the nose promised.
All in all a good malt, not much more to say really: 5.5
Bowmore 13yo 1998-2011 49.7% Asta Morris cask#003
From a bourbon hogshead comes this whisky that's bottled at cask strength, but after only 13 years are already down below 50%abv. According to online information, Asta Morris is not a car, but an independent bottler. A new one, let's see what they have to offer. Golden hue. Smells light, sweet, vanilla, freshly chopped ginger, mint leaves, coconut juice, nothing wrong with this one although the style is perhaps as far from traditional Bowmore as you might get. The taste is Overwhelmingly sweet, coconuts juice again, flour sugar, mint drops and oak. A bizarre whisky that easily could've been mistaken for being white rum or any other sweet white spirit. Even though it's perfectly sip-able, it's just not what you'd expect from a Bowmore, or even a light Speysider for that matter.
Aperitif: 6
Bowmore 8yo 1999-2008 57.4% OB Feis Ile 2008
A dark whisky bottled for the Feis Ile festival. I think that Bowmore is one of these whiskies that does much of itself if bottled at young age and high strength, much like Laphroaig or Fettercairn. Red/brown hue, nice color, inviting. The smell is smoky, cinnamon, licorice, orange peel, port wine, dark chocolate and roasted garlic. I like it a lot so far. The taste is peaty, licorice and way too oaky for a whisky at this age. Needs some water. Water gives it a boost and creates hints of dry sherry, licorice and lime peel before it gives way to a blast of peat in the finish.
A peat bomb: 6
Bowmore 12yo 1994-2006 57.8% James MacArthur's
Ahhh, James MacArthur's, perhaps the most underestimated independent bottler on the market. Has a massive range of both rarities and quality, often combined. But one thing they do that I admire is that they buy casks at young age and bottles them even though maybe just 10 or 12 years old at cask strength. It's not about age, cask types, distilleries or price speculation, it's purely about quality. But what about this one, that's distilled right at the end of Bowmore's down period of the early 80's to early 90's. Light white wine color. Smells of peat and burnt sugar, rather simplistic but interesting. An honest malt, in lack of a better word. The taste is burnt, peaty and bitter. far from a connoisseurs treasure, but it has this sort of charming old style. The aftertaste is peaty and bitter, but in an unexpectedly good way.
reminding me of early-to-mid 2000's 12yo OB's, depart the spirity notes: 6.5
(And thank God for that!!!)
Next tasting: Ardmore Distillery (A peaty Speysider!!!)
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