| |
Home
Thousands of tastings,
all the ramblings
and all the fun
(hopefully!)
Whiskyfun.com
Guaranteed ad-free
copyright 2002-2026
|
 |
|
| Hi, this is one of our (almost) daily tastings. Santé! |
| |
|
| |
| |
July 27, 2026 |
|
  |
A little avalanche of Bowmore,
including our 700th here on WF |
|
| A classic view of Bowmore (WF Archive, 2015) |
Indeed we shall try to reach the milestone of 700 different Bowmores tasted on this humble little website today, which should not prove too difficult since we currently stand at 693, with quite a few more waiting in the wings. We should also visit some of the legendary, and occasionally gloriously over-the-top, Bowmores from the troubled 1980s, along with some of the early wine finishes that could be rather challenging (Darkest or Claret, anyone?) Yet there will also be a fair number of genuine stars, the sort Bowmore has always been capable of producing, and still is, provided the casks are handled with a little… tact. In short, let us set off on another little adventure, wandering across many different eras in the most gloriously haphazard order possible, simply because it is much more fun that way… |
|
Bowmore 15 yo ‘Mariner’ (43%, OB, +/-2000) 
The last time I tasted this version, back in the day, I found it so poor that I did not even bother assigning it a score, suspecting some kind of technical flaw. It is high time we got to the bottom of it, bearing in mind that 2000 – 15 = 1985… Colour: gold. Nose: to put it plainly, we rather get the impression that bottle ageing gradually dissolves the FWP, which would be tremendous news for the community (right, S.) There is certainly a little gooseberry and a faint whiff of bee venom (banana liqueur), but beyond that it is all seawater, oysters, peat smoke and charcoal ash. There is still a very, very faint soapy note lurking in the background. Mouth: somewhere in the middle, with strawberry jam and seawater at first, then peat becoming pepperier, ashier and more lemony. There are distant echoes of the old profile, but on the whole, it has become thoroughly pleasant and unmistakably maritime. After all, they did call it ‘Mariner’. Finish: increasingly dominated by seawater. Comments: time heals everything, thankfully.
SGP:555 - 79 points. |
|
Bowmore 11 yo ‘Essence of Islay’ (40%, OB, travel retail, 2025)
These 40% vol. do feel rather retro for a modern release, but it is worth noting that this baby was matured on Islay. Let us see whether it has retained a little oomph… Colour: gold. Nose: less expressive than the Mariner, yet more straightforward and cleaner, despite a fairly obvious sherry influence. A few raisins and goji berries at first, then rather assertive notes of peony and heather, almost unexpected. Some prunes as well. It becomes increasingly floral and jammy, with hints of rosehip preserve. Mouth: we rather prefer it on the palate in the end, even if it remains firmly on the jammy side. Figs and prunes, smoked over a wood fire, alongside salted butter caramel. Finish: not all that short considering the strength. Seaweed and caramel, why not? Comments: rather the same cluster as the Mariner, which is quite surprising. It is probably extremely difficult to strike the right balance between this style of salty, smoky distillate and regular sherry.
SGP:655 - 79 points. |
|
Bowmore 17 yo ‘The Distiller’s Choice’ (43%, OB, +/-2015) 
Never tasted this baby before, although we had found the later 17 yo ‘White Sands’ perfectly respectable (WF 81). The older 17 yo ‘silkscreen label’ had been more to our liking (WF 84). In any case, this is distillate from the 1990s, and the 1990s at Bowmore were to the 1980s what Menuhin was to André Rieu. Right. Colour: gold. Nose: less sherry, which is always good news at Bowmore. Liquorice allsorts, shellfish, a few bandages, a touch of camphor balm, in short, everything is exactly where it ought to be. Mouth: a slightly yeastier palate, yet very well balanced, with a lovely bitterness that is almost Negroni-ready. Hints of tobacco, moules mariniere, and still a faint floral side, though it is not intrusive here, even if there are touches of raspberry jelly whose origin is rather mysterious, probably the sherry influence. Finish: good length, nicely balanced, with the raspberry jelly kept firmly under control. Comments: we do rather like this! Things are improving…
SGP:554 - 82 points. |
As long as we're in slightly odd territory… |
|
Bowmore 22 yo ‘Sauternes Cask Finish’ (48%, OB, travel exclusive, +/-2025) 
Sauternes casks, provided they are free from sulphur, as empty sweet wine casks deteriorate quickly unless they are sulphured, are very much hit or miss, even with peated whisky. Kornog, for example, has produced some splendid ones, while other distilleries, which shall remain nameless, have handled them with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop. Anyway… Colour: deep gold. Nose: rather a success, and we can tell straight away. The sweet wine softens the peaty distillate without bullying it as sherry sometimes can, leaving all the smoky and maritime character intact, the whole leading to lovely notes of fruity pipe tobacco and even a few touches of kombucha, itself pleasantly fruity. Mouth: it hesitates ever so slightly at first, then the wine and the whisky begin to dance to the same rhythm, thankfully, we were beginning to worry. Above all, it never becomes overly sweet, nor does it drift too far towards apricots or roses, remaining attractively saline throughout. Finish: fairly long, harmonious, without any dissonance even at this stage. Pepper, Lapsang Souchong and bitter chocolate follow. Comments: this is a success. All the more so if these really are genuine Sauternes casks, because that means French oak.
SGP:655 - 86 points. |
Right, on to the indies, but still without straying too far from wine, with another 22-year-old… |
|
Bowmore 22 yo 2003/2025 (54.9%, Murray McDavid, Mission Gold, Awakening Series, Callejo wine cask, 302 bottles) 
Callejo comes from Ribera del Duero, that marvellous Spanish appellation in the Burgos region. But this is a powerful red wine, the sort that is rather prone to clashing with whisky, so let us see… Colour: deep gold. Nose: we do notice the wine, the must, even the grapes themselves, yet everything is well integrated, which is encouraging. Lovely notes of kirsch, morello cherries and freshly soaked earth after a welcome shower, rather a precious thing these days, followed by a little green pepper that marries surprisingly well with the distillate. So far, we are pleasantly surprised. With water: more earth, bitter almonds and kirsch. Mouth (neat): whether this is sheer good fortune or entirely intentional, all that kirsch and those little cherries work remarkably well with Bowmore’s peat and salinity. It is quite unexpected, with a lovely peppery edge. With water: even the water behaves impeccably and does not pull the whole thing apart, quite the opposite, the salinity is amplified, and we rather like that. Nicely done, ACEO. Finish: long and even better integrated, it is almost becoming miraculous. Comments: had you told us we would one day award such a score to a Bowmore finished in Ribera del Duero, we would have said you were completely bonkers.
SGP:465 - 88 points. |
Right, here comes our 700th Bowmore, and we are certainly not going to do things by halves… |
|
Bowmore 30 yo 1996/2026 (51.8%, Artist #15 by LMDW, Something in the Water, refill hogshead, cask # #9696001385) 
Brand new and looking every bit the part, once again adorned with those magnificent labels that make you want to display the bottles in your library rather than hide them away in a cupboard. Where, in any case, you would probably forget all about them… Colour: white wine (excellent news at 30 years). Nose: naturally, it sends every wine finish, deserving or otherwise, straight back to the school benches. Kelp, razor clams, green pepper, manzanilla (we know this is not a wine finish) and fresh almonds. With water: chalk, bread dough, grist and wheat beer gently remind us that this is, after all, whisky. Mouth (neat): astonishingly precise, to the point of seeming simple, almost minimalist, and we absolutely love that. Malevich, Klein, Hartung… With water: we might almost find oil paint if we were not paying attention. Bitter almonds, Korean-style smoked oysters, seawater and samphire. Finish: even saltier, with a little lemon keeping everything firmly on the straight and narrow. The aftertaste is nothing but pure seawater. Comments: that is the trouble with these labels, they transport you into worlds far beyond that of a ‘simple’ whisky. Perhaps that is a deviously clever plan after all, we had better stay on our guard from now on!
SGP:456 - 91 points. |
 |
|
Bowmore 30 yo 1995/2025 (45.5%, Artist #15 by LMDW & Elixir Distillers, Something in the Water, Itinéraires, refill hogshead, cask # 9595000033, 220 bottles)
Should this be considered the front label, with the other, much more artistic one, like the version shown above, serving as the back label? Or is it the other way round? These cask numbers really are absurdly long, are they not? Colour: pale bronze. Nose: quite a cruel dilemma, as they say. This is markedly more complex, and although the DNA is very much the same as the previous one, those wonderfully old-fashioned exotic fruits in the style of the 1960s (do we really need to list them?) simply bring us to our knees. Mouth: of great beauty, immensely complex and yet perfectly, coherently compact. Brimming with fruits, herbs, underwater impressions and all manner of tiny secret spices (eh?). Finish: not especially long, it loses a point here, but there is a remarkably unexpected yet rather sublime mezcal-meets-white-rum character. Comments: how shall we put it…
SGP:555 - 92 points. |
There we are, we have climbed a little too high now, so the next ones may struggle to keep up, but you never know. Right, let us throw caution to the wind and, while we're at it, head for the very young ones… |
|
Bowmore 9 yo 2017/2026 (57.1%, Thompson Bros. for Limburg, refill bourbon, 209 bottles)
Nice indeed, we could not make it to Limburg this year, but at least we are getting a welcome catch-up session… Colour: pale gold. Nose: well now, someone has peated a blend of melon juice and orange juice, with a generous splash of seawater. Not such a bad idea after all… With water: a little more barley emerges, but apart from that it barely changes. Mouth (neat): this is spot on, lively, very smoky, lemony and salty, followed by a combination of smoked fish and smoked meats. Right, perhaps not quite a whisky for vegans (or perhaps it is!) With water: much the same, once again the water adds very little beyond bringing the salty side further to the fore. Finish: long, saline and peppery. You could almost use it as seasoning. Comments: a very young Bowmore with powerful peat and pepper. Excellent, naturally.
SGP:467 - 87 points. |
|
Bowmore 7 yo (50%, Living Souls, second fill bourbon barrel, 2025)
This ought to be as sharp as a butcher’s blade… Colour: white wine. Nose: we are edging a little towards Mercurochrome and generic antiseptic, but there is also tart green apple juice, the whole somehow ending up more civilised than the Thompson Bros. Curiously so. Perhaps the reduction to 50% has something to do with it. With water: a few touches of Williams pear, always a tell-tale sign of youth. Mouth (neat): very good indeed, that second-fill cask still had a few things left to say, even if we are drifting a little towards new make territory here. Still, it remains very good, with lemon, ash, pepper, seawater, oysters and the like. With water: very little changes, apart from that little pear quietly making its entrance again. Finish: much the same. Comments: about as good as it could possibly be at this age. Very clever not to have drowned it in some cheap wine cask.
SGP:557 - 85 points. |
|
Bowmore 11 yo 2014/2025 (62.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, Itinéraires, refill bourbon barrel, cask #19582, 220 bottles)
This one ought to cut us clean in half straight away, so let us brace ourselves… Colour: white wine. Nose: more austere, closer to barley than the 7 yo, without the pear but with plenty of yeast, fresh bread and grist. With water: seawater, fresh mint, antiseptic and tart green apple juice. Mouth (neat): really lovely, razor-sharp, beautifully simple, all about lemon and plums in the middle of fermentation. There is something deeply satisfying about simple things… With water: the salinity takes complete control, then again, this is Bowmore. Green pepper joins in too. Has anyone ever had the bright idea of peat-smoking green pepper? Finish: very long, incisive, intensely peppery and increasingly bitter. Comments: Douglas Laing’s Taliskers at this sort of age are still a notch above, in our humble opinion, but this little Bowmore is already gloriously brutal. In short, perhaps not one for ‘the neighbours’…
SGP:366 - 87 points. |
|
Bowmore 21 yo 2004/2026 ‘Old Islay’ (55%, Decadent Drinks, 264 bottles)
There is apparently some rather convoluted story involving a PX finish, but it became so complicated that we gave up trying to explain it in detail, you understand. Colour: full gold. Nose: watch out, we are in the upper cluster again here, very much in the style of certain official bottlings matured in perfectly ordinary casks, with a rich, textured nose full of bread dough, grated lemon zest, service berry eau-de-vie (a favourite at Château WF) and old-fashioned citrus liqueurs. Citrus equals Bowmore equals the 1960s. A little mint as well. With water: if this really is a PX finish, despite the lovely shoe polish that emerges here, I shall eat my beret. No way, it is simply too precise and too clean. Mouth (neat): green orange and seawater. To keep it short, this is magnificent. With water: splendid, lemony, lively, packed with little herbs circling around mint, alongside seaweed and citrus zests. Finish: well, bloody hell! Just be careful not to add too much water or it collapses into cardboard. Comments: I had first assumed that all these Old Whatever names and labels, more retro than a Harry Lauder record sleeve, were mostly a rather clever bit of marketing from Angus and the gang. Well, apparently not, because the whisky certainly lives up to the promise.
SGP:356 - 90 points. |
|
Bowmore 27 yo 1997/2025 (51.3%, Wu Dram Clan, for Japan, hogshead, cask #56518, 44 bottles)
For just 44 bottles, they might have come up with a label that was a little less hypnotic, might they not? Colour: pale gold. Nose: pear juice and lemon juice, fifty-fifty. Then embrocations, almond milk, toasted sesame and salted peanut butter. Quite a mysterious nose, this one. With water: about-turn, now flint, ointments, mouthwash, fig leaf and fresh bark take centre stage. Mouth (neat): well now, this is pure Bowmore, even a little brutal, peppery, salty and marked by antiseptic notes. You could hardly make it any more ‘Bowmore’. With water: almost a revelation, with pepper, salt, lemon juice and wild strawberries. Finish: long and pleasantly fermentary, yet somehow it all leads towards a wonderfully playful fruitiness. Those wild strawberries! Comments: Bowmore so often throws in these little quirky touches, unexpected and, as here, utterly charming. First class.
SGP:555 - 90 points. |
|
Bowmore 22 yo 2004/2026 (51%, Thompson Bros. x Bar Lotus, refill barrel, 88 bottles)
Once again, what a splendid label! Beside it, most official bottlings make us weep buckets and leave us wanting to toss a few coins at their design agencies. That said, we are perfectly aware that designing a label for 88 bottles and doing the same for two million is not quite the same exercise. Colour: gold. Nose: a very gentle Bowmore, almost Old Pulteney-ish, with vanilla, bourbon, mashed potatoes and just two or three little shellfish. Between us, you could almost forget there is any peat at all. With water: ah yes, smoke does return a little, though more in the shape of smoked almonds. We do love smoked almonds. Mouth (neat): rather sharper now, more medicinal and saltier, almost veering towards Laphroaig. Which reminds us that we still have millions of Laphroaigs and ‘Secret Islays’ waiting to be tasted. Almost, stay tuned… With water: increasingly bitter and herbaceous. Finish: long, curiously fermentary and bitter. One could almost imagine being inside a monastery. Comments: this markedly bitter finish is certainly rather unusual, but then again, that is the spice of life (excuse me?).
SGP:375 - 87 points. |
|
Bowmore 28 yo 1997/2025 (49.1%, Scout Drinks, hogshead, cask #323047, 76 bottles)
Another micro-bottling, but that is very much the charm of these little gigs. Just imagine, we have even tasted one-of-one malts, surely the most pointless thing in the world. Colour: gold. Nose: 90+ guaranteed. Mangoes, menthol, papayas, wakame and damp earth. This is brilliant. Mouth (neat): incredible, almost a meta-spirit, somehow managing to be malt whisky, rum, berry eau-de-vie, mezcal, cachaça and even pisco all at once. Thoroughly disconcerting, yet magnificent. Finish: long, dry and wonderfully earthy, close to Gaia herself, our common mother. We are sure you know exactly what we mean. Comments: we should probably ask Mr Scout for a few explanations, but apart from that we absolutely adore this thoroughly bizarre creature we have, for the time being, in our glass. Which, of course, is unlikely to remain full for very long.
SGP:366 - 91 points. |
I should point out that WF 90 represents perfection, but to reach 91 or above, a whisky needs that little extra, because there is always something beyond perfection… Still, it is probably high time for one last Bowmore today, and perhaps we might cast another glance in the direction of Dornoch… |
|
Bowmore 21 yo 2004/2025 (51.8%, Thompson Bros., Dornoch Castle 25th Anniversary, refill cask, cask #28, 289 bottles)
That label has certainly paid for itself by now… Colour: pale gold. Nose: it feels younger than its 21 years, leaning more towards beer, wort, green banana, almond milk and pistachios. In any case, it is rather waxy. With water: the peat remains decidedly discreet, while lightly smoky oils take command instead. Mouth (neat): rich and oily, centred on almonds, with a peatiness that seems embedded within the wax, making it rather restrained in expression. With water: it almost comes across as an east coast Bowmore, which is quite the paradox. Finish: long, drifting towards lime, and that is never bad news. Comments: I must admit I found this little ‘east coast’ Bowmore rather elusive, it certainly does not give itself away easily. Still, as you would expect, it is very good indeed.
SGP:465 - 87 points. |
That will do, let us stop here. See you next time… |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
