Review by: The Muskox
Bowmore has become my go-to birthday celebration whisky. I don’t have a birth-year whisky this time, but I’ll gladly settle for this well-aged selection from a very good indie bottler. It’ll also be interesting to compare this to the Elements of Islay Bw8 I tried the other day.
Distillery: Bowmore.
Bottler: Rest & Be Thankful.
Region: Islay.
ABV: 53.7%. Cask strength.
Age: 25 years. Distilled April 24th 1990. Bottled April 27th 2015.
Cask type: Cask #185076, a bourbon cask
Price: N/A, sample.
Color: Pale gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Nose: Brighter and sweeter than the Bw8. Heady tropical fruits – mango, pineapple, and passionfruit. Dry pine needles, salted pork, and pungent brine. Earthy spice notes of mustardseed, turmeric and cumin. Floral elements of course – rosemary, lavender, and violets – but definitely not to the point of soapiness. Some savoury leafy tobacco and little grapefruit zest.
A drop of water brings out more salt and grapefruit.
Palate: Medium texture. Almost no heat. Arrives with rich pineapple and white chocolate. Savoury, Sapporo-style miso ramen with butter and stir-fried corn. Delectable, tropical, and salty. Very floral. There’s a complex tea note here – Darjeeling at first, turning greener. A tiny hint of char, otherwise no smoke at all.
Finish: Log and very fatty-rich. Pork belly fat. Buttered grilled corn. Creamy-grassy tea notes. Matcha cheesecake. A hint more smoke.
Water brings more charry smoke and coastal brine.
Possible SMWS bottling name: “Lost in a Hokkaido marketplace”
Conclusion:
A lovely expression of Bowmore. I’ve heard tales of older softer Bowmores with essentially zero smoke, but I think this is my first encounter with one. There are bits of char here and there, but the only real trace of the peat is the amazing savouriness and saltiness that it’s left behind. Comparing it to the Bw8, this is the much brighter and fruitier whisky. While the Bw8 had more smoke, and this fantastic cooling green misty profile, this has that fattiness and savouriness, as well as more tropical fruit. The finish is particularly gorgeous here, too, enough to push this up to a 90 for me.
I think this is barely not quite as good as the other A-tier Bowmore I’ve had – the 1996 Carn Mor PX and the 1998 Xtra Old Particular. Those two will end up scored similar to this, but it feels like I may have underrated them slightly. Maybe that Carn Mor deserves a 91 or so. Whatever. This is great, drink it.
Final Score: 90.
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 