Bowmore 16 Year (2000) Woodwinter’s “The Four – Isle Solera”

Review by: The Muskox

Here’s an interesting whisky from Bowmore released in 2016 by independent bottlers Woodwinters. Many thanks to my friend Dave for pouring me some!

Distillery: Bowmore.

Bottler: Woodwinter’s.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 58.1%. Cask strength.

Age: 16 years. Distilled in 2000. Bottled in 2016.

Cask type: Oloroso sherry (not from a solera system, near as I can tell)

Price: N/A

Color: Cherry wood. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

Nose: Dark, resinous, and intense. The peat has been fully incorporated into the sherry, which is a nice change of pace from all the refill-cask Islays I’ve been drinking lately. Spiced cured meat. Plenty of barley sugar, brown sugar, and soy sauce. The sweetness is almost inseparable from the savoury meaty notes. Big leathery, solventy notes, getting towards Elmer’s school glue. Dark earthy sherry, like Glenfarclas’ goth girlfriend. Raisin, fig, prune, cherry, and more cooked fruit. Cloves. ‘After Eights’ chocolates. Some chocolate ganache as well. Dr. Pepper! The Oloroso comes out by itself at the tail end of the nose with a touch of nutty, winey sweetness. It’s reminding me a bit of Bunnahabhain 18, but with more peat and funk and much less vanilla and caramel. Actually, the vanilla does come out after a while. Wow, I think there’s some teriyaki sauce in there… More syrupy sweetness with time, getting somewhat closer to the sherried Bowmores I’ve tried.

Palate: Silky. Savoury throughout. Ahhh, it’s a little more like the Bowmore I’m familiar with. Tar, pine needles, bitter peat, then it swings right into lapsang souchong tea, then more dried meat. Seriously, this is maybe the clearest lapsang souchong note I’ve come across. It resolves into a softer earthy black tea, like Darjeeling. Vegetal and cedar-y now. More cola too. Grape must and oak. Cumin. The darkest coffee.

Finish: Weighty. Rich amber maple syrup. More lapsang souchong. Molasses. Cherry. Cedar. Cool herbs. Slightly mineral. Just a touch of pear. Red grapes. More savoury notes.

Conclusion: Oh my goodness. This is absolutely divine. Rich and savoury and sweet and sherried and woody and peaty…. I’ve already written so much about it that I have no words left.

Final Score: 96.

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.

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