I've had my share of trouble with the 12yo from Bowmore, in particular one late 90's and one early 00's bottling made me vary of this distillery. But then other bottlings have been fab. So I'm trying another, older 12yo today to see if the standard was more to my liking in the 80's.
Bowmore 12yo 43% OB Dark bottle
Online sources says this one was bottled in the 1980's. Quite a fancy bottle. It smells of sawdust, peat, hay, latex, rubber, oily, unrefined and pretty dirty, but most of all it curbs my curiosity as this is a style very hard to find nowadays. The taste is sweet, peaty, oloroso, oaky, mustard, basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, peppery notes, not the most complex of whiskies, but this is an old style that will vanish in years to come so please try if you get the opportunity.
Perhaps my favorite OB Bowmore to this day: 8
Bowmore 17yo 1994-2011 48.8% Signatory for the Nectar Belgium cask#570
From a hogshead. Down at only 48.8% after just 17 years. A bit of a leeking cask? Amber hue. It smells of tobacco, peat, oak, yeast, paraffin leather, licorice, rum. The taste is sweet, caramel, syrup, honey, peaty, vanilla, mashed banana, sulphur, smoky. This is not for the ones looking for any raw peat or extreme coastal notes which is typical for Islay, this is the sweet and peaty dessert whisky to be had alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the summer.
Delightful: 8.5
Bowmore NAS 50% OB "Dusk"
This was bottled back in 2002 and is no longer being produced. Finished in Bordeaux red wine casks, or claret as they say in britain. The color is deep amber/orange-brown. It smells of red wine, tannins, mustard, smoked ham, peppery, port wine, salty, clay. The taste is bitter, sweet, tannic, soft, blueberry jam, other dark berries, salty, camphor, grape juice, rhubarb. I must say the wine effect is pretty obvious in this one, but that's not a bad thing if you're into that kind of whisky. The finish is sweet, gingerbread and peat.
Who'd knew red wine casks and peaty/coastal whisky would be such a match: 7.5
Bowmore NAS 51.5% OB "Dawn"
From a port cask, bottled in 2005. I wonder how this will compare to the very good Claret. The color on this one is orange/amber. It smells of sweet wine, plums, sugary, syrup, honey, very sweet. The taste is sweet, leather, honey, nutmeg, plums, sugar, caramel, sweet port wine, way too drinkable at this strength, dangerous stuff. BUT, there is absolutely no Islay left in this whisky, I'd even recommend it to my friends who drink Lowland whisky only, not that I have any...
Sweet, sweet and more sweet: 6.5
Bowmore 22yo 1989-2011 51.2% Malts of Scotland cask#11004
Oldest one so far I presume. From a bourbon hogshead. These hogsheads from MoM surely creates some oaky whisky once in a while when bottled this old. Let's hope thats not the case here. Golden color. It smells of vanilla, peppery, flannel, pat, smoke, salty, biscuits, orange zest, iodine, smoked salmon, shrimp paste, caviar, perhaps the most typical Bowmore thus far I think. The taste is sweet, aniseeds, vanilla, ginger, cloves, onions, banana, peat, peppery, yellow paprika, garlic, bread crumbs, wheat. The finish is short and peaty.
Another well executed Bowmore: 7
Bowmore 12yo 1989-2002 63.3% Blackadder Raw Cask cask#22533
Disappointingly little cask sediments in this one, I love those small black pieces of oak one can chew on after the whisky's been downed. I know some purists doesn't agree. Very high strength compared to the rest in this session. The color is golden. It smells of burnt, grassy, peaty, iodine, mint, sea salt, oaky, peppery, yarn, yeasty, rubber. good one indeed. The taste is burnt, peaty, sweet, rum, cognac, beetroot, honey, salty, oat meal, more peat, grainy, pretty extreme. The finish is on even more rum.
Great stuff, one that doesn't need water even though being 60+abv: 7
Next tasting: Ardbeg Distillery
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