Review by: The Muskox

Whisky-car collaborations don’t make a whole lot of sense, but for well-aged, cask-strength Bowmore, I’ll allow it.

This is the second dram that was poured blind for me by my good friend Robert! I did take notes and make guesses while the drams were blind, but the notes and thoughts below are on the second pour. This way I can actually focus on taking notes, enjoyment, and giving the whisky a proper rest, as opposed to frantically trying to guess what I’m drinking.

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Distillery: Bowmore.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Islay.

ABV: 51.5%.

Age: 22 years. Bottled in 2022.

Cask type: Bourbon and sherry casks.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Color added. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Cool, sweet, and lush, with mild peat smoke. Smoldering pine boughs and hints of tar. Some very sweet fruit notes – Muscat grapes, white peaches, pineapple. Very fragrant dried flowers, sandalwood, and some vanilla, almost like a scented candle. Charred marshmallows.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Arrives sweet, and smokier than on the nose. Wet hay, orange oil, salted wheat crackers, and coconut cream. Loads of green tea and dried flowers on the development, along with strong oak, nutmeg, and sea salt. New York cheesecake!- creamy and sweet with a slight tang.

Finish: Medium-length, sweet with some peat smoke and charred oak. Green grapes, coconut, white cherries, grapefruit, and honey. Some black pepper and campfire ash.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Rained-out picnic at the arboretum”

Conclusion: I’m pretty sure you won’t like this as much as I do, assuming you’re not as big of a Bowmore fan as I am. With the intense floral, pine, and tea flavours, this does what Bowmore does and it does it better than any official bottlings I’ve tried before. That said, it’s still far behind many of the outstanding indie bottlings I’ve enjoyed over the years.

When trying it blind, I immediately picked this out as a Bowmore. I even correctly called it being a mix of bourbon and sherry casks, and an OB. I actually liked it a fair bit better during that first tasting than this time. Oh well, still tasty.

Final Score: 86.

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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.