Tasting 5 Bowmores

Bowmore is a medium peated Islay whisky, at around 20 ppm I think, or at least it was, seems peat levels are sky-rocketing all around these days. I remember my first encounter with Bowmore back in 2005, it was a 12yo, and I remember it actually being my first ever bad Scotch whisky experience. But I've also heard that todays standard bottlings are well up to par again, so lets hope for a good session now.



Bowmore 11yo 1989-2001 46% Murray McDavid cask#3133

A bit of evaporation in this miniature. It has the color of white wine. It smells honey first, then spirity, Sweet, spicy and spirity. Rather simple stuff. The taste is spirity and peppery, some peat and a light rubberyness. Its not a bad malt, just very plain and one-dimensional. Grassy and vanilla on the finish.

Easy and light Islayer: 4


Bowmore 12yo 1991-2003 46% Hart Brothers

This could be in the same category as the 1989, but I hope a year extra in wood and a later distillation will help. Same white wine color. It smells bitter white wine, wheat, peaty, herbal, some vanilla, dusty. The taste is light, minty, sweet, vanilla, sugar, butter cream, again not the most complex whisky, but quite enjoyable in its own right.

Light and sweet: 4.5


Bowmore 21yo 1989-2011 46% Douglas of Drumlanrig cask#7462

Another one distilled in late 80-early 90's. Douglas of Drumlanrig being the cheaper alternative from Douglas Laing to the Old&Rare and OMC-series. Another with the color of white wine. It smells creamy, barley, oaky, spicy, best one so far I think. The taste is sweet, creamy, vanilla and citron, caramel candy, no finish worth mentioning, rather short and unspectacular.

Enjoyable, but at 21yo I expect a bit more complexity: 4


Bowmore 16yo 1990-2006 53.8% OB

From an oloroso sherry cask, no finishing, all oloroso. I hope its one of them sweet olorosos that works good with Islay malts, such as the 1980 Laphroaig. A CS, should be a bit more complex this time then? The color is nice and brown. It smells honey, peat, licorice liqueur, grassy, seaweed, raw onions, cinnamon, smoked salmon, dill, smoked herring, a nice mix of sherry and coastal notes. The taste is sweet, cinnamon, oaky, cheddar cheese, tobacco, tuna sushi, dried paprika, garam masala, other indian spices, onions, thick and full sherry notes over some light peat.

Good stuff from Bowmore, seems like a more modern malt: 7


Bowmore 10yo 2001-2012 56.2% Creative Whisky Company cask#22

This one is finished in PX sherry casks, a bit of the same strategy that Laphroaig is doing. I'm going to try their recent PX-finished OB later on. The color is golden /brown. I do not know for how long this has been finishing in PX casks. But a modern twist on sherry casks is to fill an older cask with sherry for 2-3 years, or not even that long, and then add whisky. This since the actual sherry bodega casks now has become pricier than the diy sherry styles. This one smells sherried, cinnamon, red wine, orange liqueur, resinous, rubbery, cranberries, a great sherried nose. The taste is thick, rich, sulphury, cognac, dark grape juice, rubber, minced meat, no real peaty character here, but the thick, spicy sherry character makes up for that loss.

Great stuff, and for a Bowmore, this is both affordable and good quality: 7.5



Next tasting: Octomore (Bruichladdich Distillery)