Bowmore 24 yo 1989 (54.4%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society #3.208 'A beach bonfire barbeque', refill hogshead, 254 bottles)
Distilled in March 1989, which is worth noting… Colour: straw. Nose: bath salts, citrus rinds, sea air and beach pebbles with only fain hints of very brittle, dry peat smoke and a sense of freshly starched laundry. With time some feelings of lavender do begin to emerge which feels like Deacon 3 1980s Bowmore. With water: hand cream, seawater and an undeniable, fragile soapiness. Mouth: ok, we're immediately at Defcon 2 now, this is getting more towards violets but without straying into excessive or pure 'soap'. There's also soft notes of tarred rope, seawater, pickling brine and a nicely sooty peatiness. Feels like two whiskies grappling for dominance. With water: feels pretty comfortably in 1980s Bowmore territory now: violets: check! Lavender: check! Hand soaps from old Scottish B&Bs: check! Finish: medium and with a surprisingly nice and rather fresh, dry smokiness in the aftertaste. Comments: such funny and odd whisky. It's certainly a style, and one that has its fans, I'm not one for these 80s Bowmores that edge into soap territory but this one has its charms and wins points by not being too excessive in these traits. Mind you, by this stage we were approaching the endgame of this particular style - mercifully. 
SGP: 454 - 77 points.  

Bowmore 24 yo 1989 (51.2%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society #3.223 'Sweet, floral, perfumed smoke', refill hogshead 213 bottles)
This was distilled in September… Colour: straw. Nose: a distinct change of gear. This one is indeed floral, but we are much more towards smoked dry flowers, heather, sandalwood and many coastal subtleties such as beach driftwood, wet rocks, sand, crushed seashells etc. A much more elegant and controlled affair altogether, also some lovely gentle wisps of peat smoke and wood ashes. With water: grapefruit, citrons, plain smoke and some cereals. Mouth: clean, salty, sharp, citric and with this nice slightly sooty smokiness. They clearly twigged something was definitely not right and changed something - just what the something is we will probably still be debating in the year 2085… With water: smoked muesli! A little creamier in texture, and a rather more emphatic medicinal and peaty side, but generally still nicely clean, crisp and coastal. Finish: good length, lightly smoky and coastal and with a nice wee wink of exotic Bowmore fruitiness in the aftertaste. Comments: we do not know what happened, only that 'something definitely happened'. The quality was not completely up to scratch as it would be from around 1991 onwards, but I think it's clear the latter half of 1989 was a point of massive improvement for Bowmore. 
SGP: 465 - 87 points. 

Islay Single Malt 33 yo 1985/2021 (47.1%, C. Dully Selection, cask #8, refill hogshead, 98 bottles)
This is smack bang in 'violet territory'. Colour: pale gold. Nose: actually, this is not particular on the expected soaps and violets. We're rather more on beach foam, sandalwood and coastal 'stuff', also geraniums, lemon air freshener on laundered fabrics. There is a wee peck of what I'd call '1980s Bowmore aroma' but it is very cleverly buried in the mix. I actually rather enjoy this nose, if I am being ruthlessly honest. Mouth: ok, so there is a 'bit' of that Bowmore 80s stuff going on, but it is impressively dominated by crushed seashells, miso, dry, crisp peat smoke and sandalwood. There's even glimmers of very nice citrus and exotic fruits going on. I'm even finding the peat building rather beautifully and starting to involve such things as peppered smoked mackerel and tar liqueur. Smoked olive oil, whelks, gherkins etc… Finish: long, lightly tarry, hints of hessian, lime, seawater and puffer smoke. Comments: maybe the best 1980s Bowmore I ever had? Or am I sucker for whiskies that are my vintage? Funny that such a gem would have been unearthed by a rogue Swiss Tokaji coveter. 
SGP: 465 - 89 points.

Bowmore 1972/1990 (43%, Samaroli, Flowers, sherry wood, 480 bottles, 75cl)
Probably due to the frankly monolithic reputation of the 1966 Bouquet Bowmore, I never paid much attention or thought to this follow up by Mr Samaroli. 1970s Bowmore offers us significant variations, but these early vintages can be luminous… Colour: deep gold. Nose: layered, ripe exotic fruits with beeswax, honeys and shoe polish. Feels superbly fat for only 43%. I also detect a few more specific fruity notes of guava, mango and papaya. Beautifully scented and well-rounded. Mouth: crystallised citrus fruits, dried mango chunks and notes of melon liqueur, resinous fir wood saps, chai tea and mint. A lovely soft earthy quality with some fig jam, eucalyptus and a very ethereal peat smoke. More honeys, hessian and medicinal qualities. Just the right balance of gentility and power. Finish: long, herbal, honeyed and again this combination of soft medicinal and earthy peat smoke notes and then a superb, controlled saltiness in the aftertaste. Comments: long overshadowed, but this is humble wee Bowmore is a total star! Harks back to the mid-60s vintages in many ways. 
SGP: 652 - 93 points. 

Bowmore 27 yo 1972 (53.3%, OB, 466 bottles) 
Let's see how this OB stacks up against the gorgeous Samaroli… Colour: deep gold. Nose: fantastically salty and on passion fruits, kumquat, hessian and wee touches of pink grapefruit and seawater. A little more playful than the Samaroli, but also with more punch and assertive saltiness. Some lovely herbal cough syrups and sooty peat notes underneath. With water: yet more fruits, with a hint of juniper, wood smoke and sandalwood. Becoming more coastal and fragrant. Mouth: terrific attack! Sharp, salty, coastal and wonderfully fruity. Fresh exotic fruit juices, zesty citrus, bitter orange marmalade, fennel seed, eucalyptus and bergamot tea. Wonderful richness and texture on the palate, extremely satisfying. With water: doubles down on these fir and herbal liqueur notes, medicinal herbs such as wormwood and wintergreen, aniseed, tar extracts, ointments and exotic fruit teas. Finish: long, slightly mentholated, more herbs, roots, tars and wonderful resinous and salty qualities. Comments: a slightly fresher and more powerful take on this vintage, but with similar exotic abundance. Same quality in my view, a drop dead gorgeous Bowmore that really holds onto that 1960s profile. 
SGP: 663 - 93 points.  

Bowmore 30 yo 1972 (53.2%, Kingsbury, cask #927, hogshead, 209 bottles)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: it's really jam. Peated tropical fruit jam. Passion fruit jelly, mango puree, guava jam very specifically and various types of honey. You can also add hints of eucalyptus, tiger balm, beeswax and camphor. The whole nose implies a great fatness of texture. There's also wintergreen, bergamot and dried mint. Stunning, naturally. With water: some clay, ointments, beach pebbles, more exotic fruit 'medley' and some savoury and umami notes that imply things like Maggi. Mouth: a subtle arrival and then it just starts to gather complexity and power Not really about individual flavours so much as just 'old Bowmore': that specific fusion of gelatinous, overripe and pulpy exotic fruits, with rich, drying, gentle peat smoke, coastal notes and delicate medicines. A singular and inimitable style. And indeed, incredible textural and waxy qualities too. With water: more coastal, more waxy and with a broader, fresher smokiness that's still nicely crisp, thick and quilting the whole palate. Also still many glorious exotic fruity notes. Finish: good length, sweet exotic fruit extracts, mineral oil and touches of sandalwood. Comments: the missing link between the 1960s and early 1990s probably.
 SGP: 654 - 92 points. 

Bowmore 1969/1979 'Bicentenary' (56.2%, OB, Fecchio & Frassa for Federico Minetti, cask #322, sherry, 300 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: wildly coastal and aromatically on dry peat smoke, herbs, bitters, medicinal roots and very old cigar humidors. The youth, power and detail of the distillate are stunningly preserved and dominate the nose. Add in some artichoke preserved in smoked olive oil, touches of soy sauce and some wet beach pebbles and hessian. With water: stunningly medicinal and herbal, going towards herbal bitters and liqueurs simultaneously, but also more of this crisp, dry peat smoke, more punchy impressions of saltiness and things like smoked mint tea and eucalyptus. Amazing complexity alongside immense power. Mouth: fantastic arrival, extremely salty and punchy! On seawater, charred grapefruit, dried seaweed, nori and salted liquorice. Extremely coastal, powerful and mineral with even a wee farmyard aspect as well. There's also an earthy and salty old sherry quality, with only a few glimmers of various fruits showing through. With water: oh, here are the fruits! Stunning crystallised tropical and citrus fruit notes, lemon marmalade, herbal liqueurs again, bandages, aniseed, camphor and tar extracts! Then resinous fir woods and seawater. So much going on and you feel yourself being pulled in many directions simultaneously. Finish: long, ruggedly coastal and powerful. Full of more of these earthy and salty old sherry notes, tarred rope, peat smoke, hessian and black pepper. Deeply and enchantingly peaty in the aftertaste. Comments: the power of this one is incredible, and indeed this seems to be a quality that all of these super rare, young cask strength single cask Bowmores from these vintages possess. Immense and immaculate distillate of bewildering complexity, one of those whiskies that you would ideally sit with for hours armed with only a pipette and some slippers. 
SGP: 576 - 93 points. 

Bowmore 1967 (50%, OB, Auxil France, 75cl, +/-1990)
These old OB vintage bottlings at 50%+ are generally total stunners. Brace for fruit… Colour: gold. Nose: a little shy at first but you feel the rumblings of what's coming… yup, an avalanche of exotic fruits of all shades, ripeness and style. Intensely juicy, vibrant and showing an elegant sweetness of flower honey, then wee hints of tangerine, a rather compact coastal note and fresh passion fruit. Hard to say anything other than: sixties Bowmore! I also find some mineral qualities like wet pebbles and mineral salts. Preserved lemons in brine with herbal teas and wormwood. Utterly irresistible! With water: even more fruity if you can imagine such a thing, but also wonderfully peppery and intricately spicy. More exotic liqueurs and honeys, liquorice root, verbena and a feeling of incense and pot pourri. Mouth: amazing freshness, precision and power with total immediacy. But it then uncoils with purpose and drags you along for the ride. Bewilderingly fruity with fresh, dried and crystallised fruits of all variety. But the way this integrates with the most gentle and elegantly drying peat smoke, pristinely sharp and chiselled coastal salinity and then medicines, roots, wood extracts and waxes too. A majestic unfolding of beauty and complexity. With water: deadly! An encyclopaedia of fruit! Still with such power, freshness and ability to deliver these flavours with such directness and persistence. An utter glory! Finish: long and glowing with exotic fruit pulps and syrups. The aftertaste riddled with medical roots and herbs and still this lattice of salted honey and crisp peat smoke. Comments: these bottlings are, in my wee opinion, still the absolute benchmark of what fruit flavour is in single malt whisky. Not many whiskies in existence can take you to these kinds of places. 
SGP: 753 - 95 points.

Bowmore 44 yo 1964/2009 'Gold' (42.4%, OB, 701 bottles)
I remember when this series (along with the White and Black versions) was initially released and a seemingly vast number of 10cl trade sample bottles were sloshing about various branches of Oddbins, the briefcases of brand reps, beneath festival stand tables etc. I agree, such a time feels almost like pre-history nowadays. I would love to see someone at Beam Suntory try to suggest such a move today. Colour: suitably deep gold. Nose: what's so fun about going to this from the 1967 is seeing the immediate impact of extra decades of ageing. Here it delivers far more honeys, waxes and resins up front, but also adds a more syrupy profile to the fruits. Everything is still superbly exotic but more concentrated and even rather oily. Tangerines, mango, guava and grapefruit but all preserved, crystallised or pulped! The collected gunge and mush of a tropical fruit salad - spiked with a shot of very old yellow Chartreuse! Frankly, it's all rather outrageous and at this stage we would traditionally call the anti-maltoporn brigade. Mouth: one of those whiskies that manages to wear its age and wood with utter class! Precious and exotic hardwood resins, sandalwood, gorse flower and putty along with linseed oils, waxes, hessian and an intricate display of preserved fruits. Not only exotic but also touches of red apple, lime and peach in syrup. That's without even mentioning all the herbs and medicines that also appear. What is just so overwhelming is the sheer, unashamed juiciness of it all. It is (almost) literally like drinking some kind of outrageous pina colada. Finish: lengthy and just fruits piled upon fruits. Interlaced with honeys, resins, herbal medicines and the most gloriously warming and exotic of aftertastes. Comments: it is really extremely silly whisky, when you think about. An outrageous flavour profile that leaves you scratching you head and desiring only one or two IBCs more of this deliriously beautiful fruit juice. 
SGP: 752 - 94 points. 

Bowmore 1960 4 yo (53.1%, cask sample, 'plain wood')
Colour: extremely pale white wine, almost new make. Nose: seawater, artichoke eau de vie, powerfully grassy olive oil and then things like rice wine, hints of fennel seed and camphor. Extremely pure distillate, with a very clear and pronounced coastal element, but also a really rugged earthiness about it. With water: becomes a little grassier and greener, with crushed flower stems, clay and vase water. Also eucalyptus, sooty notes and some briny touches. Still wonderfully fresh and vivid. Mouth: again, stunningly salty arrival, along with some peppery, seawater and smoked teas. But it's the presence of some subtle tropical fruits, chiefly passionfruit and guava, which are most surprising and thrilling! Even at this young age and in such neutral wood, this exotic fruit character can be present. With water: pure sea salt, with a glimmer of peat smoke and various things like anchovy paste and soy sauce adding to this sense of salinity but also underscoring it with umami characteristics. Those fruits are still there, particularly towards the finish. Finish: long, salty and with a wonderfully clear continuation of these background tropical fruit notes, adding lemon, star fruit and dried mango to the mix. Comments: lifting the bonnet on old Bowmore! As someone who is daft enough to be undertaking a distillery venture themselves, this kind of historic distillate example is heartening as it does suggest that these extremely prized and beautiful fruit characteristics can be present in extreme youth and without the aid of any active oak to elevate them. Now, it's just a random old cask sample, so we shouldn't take too much from it in terms of 'lessons', but it's amazing to try. 
SGP: 653 - 93 points. 

Bowmore 1958 6 yo (58.1%, cask sample) 
Colour: pale gold. Nose: this one is immediately more developed, and also rather clearly from some kind of rather salty and leathery old sherry cask as well. It recalls quite clearly the 1969 #322 with its very powerful and almost aggressive impression of saltiness, seawater and rugged coastal character. I'm also getting more of these vegetal aspects, like artichoke eau de vie again, or salt-baked turnips and parsnips! Then earthiness, aged cigars, lamp oil and hessian, underneath that things like wintergreen, bergamot and a very powerful vibe of herbal liqueurs - as we so often find in such old style whiskies: old Chartreuse! With water: a big medley of herbs, ointments, vegetables, tar and even some slightly wilder farmyard notes that suggest meats, suet and the oiliest of sheep wools!