Review by: The Muskox

It’s back! The tasting bar is back!

In the before-times, many of my reviews came from the tasting bar at my local liquor monopoly. A couple of their stores had a little section where, for an extremely small fee, you could taste a selection of whiskies (or wines or other spirits). My last visit was on… March 10th 2020, when I visited knowing it might be a while until I’d be back.

A mere 2 and a half years later, here I am! They only had a few whiskies to try, but one of them was this rather interesting Bowmore release. This Vault series is intended to highlight different aspects of Bowmore’s character. This time, it’s peat smoke.

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Distillery: Bowmore.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 50.1%, cask strength.

Age: NAS. Bottled in 2019.

Cask type: Bourbon, Sherry, Red Wine.

Price: $200 CAD in Ontario.

Color: No colour added, chill-filtered.

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Nose: Pretty smoky! Sweet spicy smoke – burning hardwood campfire and lardons, with a bit of leather. Buttered popcorn and rock salt. Softer fruity notes of apple and orange underneath the smoke. Floral notes of lemongrass, rosemary, lavender, and very dark honey emerge as the whisky rests.

Palate: Medium-light texture, very little heat. Tart fruit and herbs on the arrival. More lavender, lemongrass, some basil, and lemon zest, along with honey. Then herbal, smoky peat takes over on the development. Wood ash and smoked tea.

Finish: Fairly long. Bitter-ish wood, some pine, tannic apple skins, and greener tea.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Out of control moor-fire”

Notes: Pretty much as expected, it’s a smokier take on classic Bowmore. I tend to prefer Bowmores on the less-smoky side, so I can’t really say that this version is an improvement on that style. I probably like this better than the standard age-stated Bowmores, but it’s a far cry from indie bottling brilliance.

Final Score: 82.

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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.