Three rather positive Bowmore


February 26, 2024

Three rather positive Bowmore

Let's try one of the newest batches of Bowmore 15 years old. We have a fondness for Bowmore 15, especially following its revival after the challenging periods of the distillates from the 1980s (who fancies lavender soap?). And then, we'll have two intriguing independents. Well, it's only fair to admit it, the 15 was just an excuse...

Bowmore 15 yo (43%, OB, +/- 2023)

Colour: amber with reddish hues. Nose: rather a lot of musty and cardboardy sherry, burnt wood and bread, all that kind of fighting the maritime, smoky and somewhat medicinal notes, although that would have then generated pleasant whiffs of fresh oil paint, which I'll always cherish as my mother is a painter. I seem to be finding much less wild dung and crazy vinegars than in earlier batches that had been well, crazier, but some dissonances remain. Mouth: ah better, smoky and dry, with some salty chocolate and rather a lot of tobacco. I find it much more coherent on the palate, even more so since some grapefruit is kicking in after just a few seconds. It never stops becoming saltier then. Finish: rather long, between Maggi and miso, then seawater and just peat smoke. Menthol in the aftertaste. Comments: very good on the palate - after all it's only a sherry finish. 85 points next year?
SGP:456 - 84 points.

Bowmore 15 yo (48.3%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, batch #22, 316 bottles, 2021)

We're never too fast with these ones but it's always a joy to try them. Not too sure about the wood they've been using but the colour is elegantly pale, which would suggest X-fill and thus a distillate-driven bottling. Which is what works best with modern Bowmore, which is an awesome distillate in our book. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: it's just got what it needs, rocks and pebbles, ashes, new wool, new jumper, damp oatcakes and porridge, seawater, kelp and a somewhat civilized peat smoke. No tar, no rubber, no medicine. Mouth: I find it very ashy and very salty, somewhat harsh and rugged, certainly rustic, but that's also what we appreciate in these Bowmores. It feels a bit like drinking the ocean, with a few drops of lemon. Finish: these natural Bowmores often boast superb, intense, and spirited finishes, and that is certainly the case here. There's a strong presence of sea water, ash, and peat. Comments: either in your hipflask, or as a dressing on a salad. Or to enhance surimi (are you all right, S.?)
SGP:366 - 87 points.

Bowmore 25 yo 1996/2022 (53.3%, Douglas Laing, for China, Xtra Old Particular, black series, cask #15472, 276 bottles)

At the moment, we prefer fine Scottish malt bottled for our friends in China to whisky distilled in China (of which we've only tasted a very small amount), but there's no doubt that they will improve. Colour: white wine. Nose: and there it is, it has begun to break down in a fractal way, moving away from the rustic and straightforward to now display a myriad of notes including all things fresh paint, all engine oils, all things almond, all citrus fruits, many cleaning products (preferably organic), all things waxes, all things seashells... How splendid it is! With water: reaching a point where all the taster has to say or write is 'old Bowmore'. Yet it's not even that old. Mouth (neat): just marvellous, please call the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade as soon as possible. Much more powerful than on the nose, very briny (as expected), almost a bit acetic on one side, and certainly with vast amounts of oils and waxes, be they natural or artificial. Plasticine, paraffin, polish... But the smoke retains a taut and refined character. With water: it almost completely changes direction, veering towards oysters, Tabasco, and white wine. I'm not even joking. Finish: long and really very salty. Some olives appearing, rosemary, even a touch of garlic (or say bear garlic if you prefer that), ashes, tiny ideas of agaves… Comments: quite masterful, everything is perfect while on the palate, it has retained that wild side we are so fond of. Well done Bowmore, well done Douglas Laing, and well done China.
SGP:466 - 92 points.

(Thank you, Edouard and Fuji)

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