
December 29, 2023

The New Time Warp Sessions, today Bowmore 1999 vs. 1969

View of Bowmore at twilight, 2015 (WF Archive)

Some reactions here and there following our mini-Bowmore tasting session yesterday made me think it would be good to have another one, more or less similar. For instance, this very recent Bowmore, distilled in 1999 and perhaps strongly influenced by wine, as is the trend these days, alongside another official Bowmore, distilled exactly thirty years earlier and carefully protected from any unwanted bacchic assault. We continue to believe that aside from traditional sherry, Scottish malt whisky should not need to be flavoured with table wine to become drinkable.

Bowmore 1999/2023 'Hand filled' (47.2%, OB, Vaults Secret Tour, 2nd fill French wine barrique, cask #2304, 10cl)

I believe these 'samples' have been available for many months. It's to be noted that it was a refill barrique, so probably nothing as frightening as a new one. Having said that, we'd have loved to know a little more about the origins, even if according to pictures, it was a very, very old cask, possibly one that had previously sheltered the infamous 'Bowmore Claret' (WF 49) that, indeed, had been bottled in 1999. In that case it could have been an old barrique of Suntory-owned Château Lagrange (all right, enough of this chitchat, S.) Colour: amber copper. Nose: There's quite a medicinal aspect to start with, abundant in juniper and coriander seeds, almost reminiscent of oak-aged gin, before hints of orange peel and sea water at low tide (really) give a leg up to a rather oily peat that remains elegant and coastal, nonetheless. Eventually, there's a lot of dried seaweed but very little blackcurrant, raspberry, or strawberry, thankfully! Mouth: The taste is much more uncertain, as if the previous contents of the barrel hadn't been enough to obliterate all the winey notes. So, we end up with a fair bit of blackcurrant, leather, tomato leaf, bay leaf, or rubber, but luckily, the distillate manages to get itself out of trouble, thanks to its distinctly salty and even fishy notes. Alas, very few exotic fruits make it through in this affair, with bay leaf and juniper remaining very prominent. Finish: long, salty, spicy, quite rubbery, with green pepper and cherry stems at the end. Comments: all things considered, it fares well. It's not my style, it lacks coherence and is a bit discordant, but it's still Bowmore and I adore Bowmore. We are far from the terrifying 'Claret' of that bizarre era.
SGP:566 - 83 points.

Bowmore 1969 (43%, OB, sherry casks, Auxil Import France, +/-1990)

I insist, and as you know, Bowmores distilled in the 1960s have always been legendary. Quite widely distributed, in Italy and also in France, they have the peculiarity, in my humble opinion, of being strangely quite mediocre when you first open them, a phenomenon that has already caused a fair number of diplomatic incidents, even in the chicest of bars. However, after just two or three days, the exotic fruits come to power and the poor pumpkin then transforms into a veritable princess carriage! Colour: dark gold. Nose: the bottle has obviously had time to breathe, and seldom do peat smoke, mango, passion fruit, and blood oranges harmonize so wonderfully. Touches of white truffles perfect the masterpiece, before a long procession of little fruity notes begin to unfold; Szechuan pepper, fresh hops, honeysuckle, yuzu, nectarines, myrtle… All of this is splendid. Mouth: a palate recognisable among thousands, shared between peat and exotic fruits that keep dancing a wild tango, leading to those legendary salty notes. A bit of coffee and walnut liqueur also remind us that we're dealing with sherry casks, of rare elegance. Finish: of medium length, rich but very fresh, heavily marked by the small citrus fruits. The signature is extremely Bowmore-like, very saline. Commentary: these Bowmores were part of the world's greatest malts and we may not have heirs to them. The salty notes remind us of the legend of the casks that were rolled into the sea from the distillery dock to the "puffers" (those small boats used to transport the casks to the continent), which casks thereby absorbed a bit of sea water en route. But legend or reality?
SGP :753 - 93 points.

(Thank you Hanpo and The Golden Promise)

Check the index of all Bowmore we've tasted so far