A variety of very different Bowmores on the table, till '69


July 24, 2025

A variety of very different Bowmores on the table, till '69

Bowmore firmly holds a spot in our top five in terms of the number of different expressions we've tasted, and today we're going to mix things up a bit. For instance, we mentioned the partnership between Aston Martin and Glenfiddich the other day, so it’s now time to sample a Bowmore that also happens to be the result of a collaboration with this iconic car brand. We'll just avoid bringing up any issues with electronics, clutches, overheating, or sluggish gearboxes. Right...

Bowmore 21 yo ‘Aston Martin’ (51.4%, OB, Master’s Selection Edition 4, 2024)

The 22-year-old from 2022 had been decent (WF 83). The trouble with this recent 21 is that it was hurled into some Tawny Port, which doesn’t exactly scream ‘Aston Martin’ if you ask me. But let’s set aside all prejudice and press on… Colour: bronze gold. Nose: hmm, stock cube, mead, spent fireworks, boot polish, leather, stewed red fruit, buds, and dried raisins… With water: the more ‘Bowmorian’ traits emerge—sea water, peat, oysters, liquorice… In short, it’s better with water. Mouth (neat): in the vein of those early wine-finished Bowmores, starting with the inexpressible ‘Claret’. It clashes in a Miles Davis circa 1970 kind of way—the resemblance ends there, alas for this Bowmore. Smoked prunes, scorched orchard leaves, and lashings of umeshu as served in a sushi joint. With water: again, slightly improved, though there’s lavender and violet poking through. Oops, just like the old days. Finish: medium in length, on smoked red fruit jam with a slightly soapy edge. Comments: one really wonders whether it wasn’t the Aston Martin mechanics who cobbled this together, a serviceable dram, but entirely far-fetched. Not for us, really, they ought to try Toyota next time…
SGP:664 - 78 points.

Quick, let’s try to pull ourselves together—with a barrel… After all, when it comes to casks, according to our theory, less is more, isn’t it?

Bowmore 26 yo 1997/2023 (51.1%, The Whisky Agency, 15th anniversary, The Perfect Dram, barrel, 124 bottles)

Colour: pale gold. Nose: lovely age, splendid vintage, pristine purity, gorgeous exotic fruits, and a magnificent coastal profile—it couldn’t have turned out any better, especially after the 21 AM. With water: about three litres of Loch Indaal water, lemons, clams, pinewood smoke, and a splash of Sauvignon Blanc… Mouth (neat): on those creamy citrus notes Bowmore does so well, both fresh and oily, with a lemony, salty peat of the highest order. And let us not forget the oysters. With water: same again, it’s utterly delightful. Finish: likewise, only even saltier, as is often the case towards the end. Comments: even before our nose hovered over the tulip glass, we knew this was going to be a 90. There must be some kind of energy at play…
SGP:565 - 90 points.

Bowmore 2002/2025 (58.2%, Malts of Scotland, Rare Casks, for The Whisky Dreamers, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS25014, 146 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: we’re back in the more tropical, fruitier, and downright seductive vintages, yet the whole remains very pure and taut—in short, it’s lovely, almost effortlessly so, and in the best possible sense. But do watch those watts (ha, up to 59.9% we tell ourselves it’s manageable, past 60.0% and it’s playing with fire). With water: the mango bursts wide open. Mouth (neat): this one meets the 1997s in sheer clarity and precision, very ‘clear line’ style, though with added iodine and a feeling of petrichor. With water: Bowmore in high definition—mango, lemon, sea water, beechwood-smoked salmon, and do pass the Riesling, please. Finish: no real shift, which is a good thing, though once again, it gets a tad saltier. Comments: we went in hunting for flaws and came back empty-handed. So, according to our patented system stretching as far as Kamchatka and beyond, this will be, once more…
SGP:655 - 90 points.

How about revisiting some past glories? No heatwave in Alsace these days, so let’s make the most of it, we’ve got a clear run ahead…

Bowmore 30 yo 1990/2020 (53.7%, Kingsbury for Club Qing, hogshead, cask #3971)

Angus has already tasted it. And of course, he liked it a lot, but let’s not allow ourselves to be swayed, eh… Colour: pale gold. Nose: there’s a whiff of paraffin oil, or a parcel from Temu to start with, though in this context, that’s not necessarily a bad omen, as gradually fresh fruits begin to sneak in, especially wee citrus ones, then metal polish, varnish, glues, and more and more oyster juice, petrol, rhubarb, green tomatoes… In fact, the complexity only grows from there. With water: still a little chaotic, as if the cask had sprung a leak or been on a few escapades. Wool, chalk, sourdough, and the like. Mouth (neat): salty pear eau-de-vie, in an old Bowmore? Water ought to straighten out all those molecules… With water: ah yes, there we are, it all falls into place, a 90% manzanilla blend with 5% seawater, 5% lemon juice, and 5% pear juice. I do hope those figures add up… perhaps not. Finish: long, very slightly acetic, always very salty, maritime, and still a tad unruly. Comments: quite a different old Bowmore, perhaps with some discreet remnants of the 1980s, and something of a fascinating puzzle piece. But do set aside some time if you're going to tackle it…
SGP:565 - 89 points.

Largiemeanoch 20 yo 1974 (50.6%, The Whisky Connoisseur, Arthur J.A. Bell, cask #2087, +/-1995)

No need, surely, to remind anyone that these Bowmore/Largiemeanoch bottlings belong in the pantheon of malt whisky, ever since that head-turning 12-year-old 1967. So, let’s remain humble… Colour: white wine. Nose: the early Largiemeanoch were loaded with intergalactic sherry, but here we’re faced with something of unfathomable purity—passion fruit, peanut butter (pure, naturally), and gently salted pink grapefruit. Dazzling. With water: that old tweed jacket, the one that’s seen countless downpours and tempests, and yes, even a wet dog. A very small dog, a Yorkshire. Mouth (neat): please summon the Anti-Maltoporn Brigade sofort! Never before had we imagined smoked and salted bergamot jelly. With water: the austerity returns, citrus peels and high-grade Italian bitters. Forget anything too crimson in colour… Finish: long, with the emergence of meaty and fishy notes that only serve to amplify the overall complexity. There's even a drop of nuoc-mam and a hint of bitter almond right at the death. Comments: none, except that we no longer recall what became of The Whisky Connoisseur. Must dig into that one day. Reminder, the Largiemeanoch 1967/1979, credited to Howgate Wine Co., was WF 97. Not that it matters in the slightest, of course.
SGP:666 - 93 points.

We continue, going back through the years, with one final dram…

Bowmore 36 yo 1969/2006 (44.0%, Duncan Taylor, Peerless, cask #6090, 233 bottles)Bowmore 36 yo 1969/2006 (44.0%, Duncan Taylor, Peerless, cask #6090, 233 bottles)

Bowmore 36 yo 1969/2006 (44.0%, Duncan Taylor, Peerless, cask #6090, 233 bottles)

There were many sublime Bowmores from the 1960s in the stocks of Abe Rosenberg/Duncan Taylor, and here’s an example, likely a proper fruit bomb. Colour: white wine. Nose: a genuine fruit bomb. One still wonders why Bowmore (and Laphroaig too) threw away the recipe! It’s really just an astonishing fruit salad from every continent, with mango, passion fruit and those dainty pink bananas taking the lead, before—slightly fashionably late, we must say—mineral and ashy touches stroll in ‘for the glory’, as it were. There’s also fresh mint, lavender honey, a touch of candle wax, and a whisper of new fabric. That’ll do, we’ve not got all day, but just to note, the minerality builds in stature, though it never dares unseat the fruit salad, which sits proudly on the throne… Mouth: this is getting embarrassing. We’re moving into citrus overload territory, layered with all sorts of ashes and those wonderfully salty Bowmore notes said—after a few drams—to come from the barrels having been rolled through Loch Indaal to reach the puffers when they couldn’t dock at the pier. Aye well, take that as you will. Finish: long, even saltier, with a touch of ultra-premium margarita, grapefruit and salt in the dying embers. Comments: must dig out those old Malt Maniacs articles that, if memory serves, spoke of peat ‘transmuting’ into tropical fruit with age. This is right up there with the stellar Largiemeanoch. Worth mentioning though, some of the sister casks were less robust, less spectacular, possibly down to natural ABVs nudging closer to 40%.
SGP:754 - 93 points.

Now that was what you’d call a proper tasting session at WF.

(Thank you, KC and Steffen)

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