Bowmore 12 Year, Bowmore 15 Year Darkest & Bowmore 18 Year
Review by: TOModera
I’ve noticed a lot of samples piling up around the house… Time to start working through them. What a hard life I lead.
Awhile ago I made a joke concerning the general view of Bowmore on this Subreddit, stating it was generally maligned (even above Jura). And while older Bowmore’s typically get good praise, the younger ones usually have mixed reviews. This is odd as this is the largest Islay Distillery, and you’d expect that a bunch of peatheads like us would find an Islay good no matter what.
I realized that I hadn’t tried Bowmore just yet, and so headed out to purchase the Bowmore Distiller’s Collection. You all probably know what happened when I bought it (security, blah, whine, first world problems, etc.), and now that I’m finally over my cold, I can review them.
So without further rambling (HA! Like I can stop rambling), here’s my introduction to Bowmore.
Price for Distiller’s Collection: $24.50 (CAD)
Bowmore 12 Year
Distillery: Bowmore Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Islay, Scotland
ABV: 40%.
Age: 12 years.
Cask type: Bourbon Casks.
Price: $51.35 (CAD) for a 750ml
Color: Burnt Orange
Nose: Peat, smoke, pepper, sea salt, mango, cardamon
Hey, this doesn’t smell too rough. It’s quite light though. Maybe I was wrong for making a joke about this place.
Taste: Watered down OJ, burn, peat, salt, pepper, chocolate
On second thought… This is very bi-polar. And the only flavour that isn’t weak is the burn. Not happy.
Finish: Sour mashed oranges, peat, leather, onion, cumin, cocoa
Well… the finish has a medium length on it. Which is nice, because if it was longer I’d probably have to scrape my tongue with an SOS pad.
Conclusion: Nice nose, not so great taste, rough ass finish. Just not my thing. I’m surprised there’s an Islay I don’t like, but this is it.
Final Score: 68.
Bowmore 15 Years Darkest
Distillery: Bowmore Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Islay, Scotland
ABV: 43%.
Age: 15 years.
Cask type: Sherry Cask.
Price: $91.95 (CAD) for a 750ml
Color: Walnut red
Nose: Strong then light, boiled cherries, peat, cough syrup, plum, strawberry flavouring, cashew, lime cordial, rotten flowers
Again, a decent nose. It looses it’s luster after about 10 minutes of breathing, and the peat quickly changes the Sherry notes from fruity to dead flowers. I’m worried after the 12 that I’ll have to drag my tongue across the carpet for these.
Taste: Framboise, cloves, smoke, cinder blocks, lemon (faint), pepper, dark chocolate, apple
Okay, this isn’t so bad. It’s not the best sherry finished whisky I’ve had, but it’s trying. I’d prefer a little more fruit here.
Finish: More cloves, nutmeg, peat, mushrooms, moss, anise
And we lose the fruit. Okay, I’m being mean here, the finish is quite nice, and long. It has that Christmas spice flair, and that’s certainly better than the 12.
Conclusion: They are getting better with this one. It’s not easy mixing a peated whisky with sherry, and this is a good first try. I almost thing it needs more time in the cask to really open up the fruit on the nose (and more in the taste), however I’m not hating this.
Final Score: 75.
Bowmore 18 Year
Distillery: Bowmore Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Islay, Scotland
ABV: 43%.
Age: 18 years.
Cask type: Ex-Bourbon and Ex-Sherry Casks
Price: $126.95 (CAD) for a 750ml
Color: Light stained oak
Nose: Passion fruit, mint, perfume, smokes, salt air, grape drink, butter
This has improved quite a bit. This is quite unique. I’m quite happy with the 18, it looks like it’ll make up for some concerns in the 12 and 15.
Taste: Wood, pencil shavings, banana, taro, peat, brown sugar, heat, peanuts, raspberry, vanilla, corn
Or… not. It’s hard to explain what I don’t like about this. It reminds me of a younger Bourbon, which isn’t to say I’m bashing on Bourbon, it’s to say that after 18 years int he cask, I expected something a little… different than a young Bourbon. Very woody and vegetal.
Finish: Lots of oak, cassia buds, mushroom, bay leaf, medicine
It always saddens me to ready about an 18 year whisky with 43% Abv. The finish was short and woody. Kinda a let down from a great nose. Heck, the taste seems better now compared to the finish.
Conclusion: This one should be an easy 83+. I mean, it’s 18 years, it has a great nose, and then… blah. It’s not horrible like the 12, or missing some key aspects like the 15. Heck, it’s more consistent than either of them. But… come on, a short finish full of oak? Or a young Bourbon flavour (with some peat)? Needs more time.
Final Score: 79.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 