Review by: Raygun

Ah, Bowmore. When it’s on, it’s my favorite Islay distillery. When it’s off…it’s not very good. Some say Bowmore OBs aren’t worth drinking, and I don’t think that’s entirely true. The core range is weak, but some of the limited releases are great. In any case, this is an IB, from a Japanese bottler I’d never heard of, The Ultimate Spirits, for their Art Session label. Thanks to zSolaris for the sample and bottle pic. Rested about 15 minutes.

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Distillery: Bowmore    

Bottler: The Ultimate Spirits    

Region/style: Islay single malt Scotch

ABV: 57.9%. 

Age: 16 years. Distilled in 1999, bottled in 2016.  

Cask type: Sherry butt #2260, 132 bottles. Probably refill. 

Color: 0.8 deep gold. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Coastal, briny sort of peat. Also a distinct nutty smell; peanuts and almonds in particular. A hint of lemon and sugar cookies. Even a bit of Sprite. I’m looking for sherry now that I know what it is, but I can’t find any.  

Palate: Moderate to heavy peat, again in briny way. Grape Nuts cereal, but with peanuts and some lemon zest. Get some mangosteen with water. I love mangosteen, so that’s welcome. Got some heat to it, thinking upper 50s ABV. Had some peanut candy with seaweed once, and it’s close to that: peanuts with brine and ocean flavor. Some more tropical fruit when I focus on it: mangosteen and a bit of rambutan.  

Finish: Heavier on the peanut flavor, peanut butter specifically. Less lemon, more cereal. Lemon soda flavor comes out more with water. Peanut butter cookies sprinkled with salt. Less fruit now. A little sweeter with water, and the tropical fruit comes back, more subtly than the palate.

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Guess: Nutty and peaty suggests Ardmore to me. Which isn’t typically coastal. I also wondered if it might be Ledaig. But I’m not going to start second-guessing myself. That way lies madness. I’ll stick with my first reaction. Ardmore, bourbon cask, mid teens, 57-60%. 

Post-reveal thoughts: Bowmore never occurred to me, but it all fits in hindsight. Not a very typical sherry cask; the sherry flavor is pretty minimal. There is some of the tropicality that Bowmore often has, but the nutty flavors are not something I’ve noticed in Bowmore before.   

Conclusion: A very good Bowmore, though I won’t put it among the best. The peanut flavor was unexpected, but works well with the coastal element. Still hard to believe it’s a sherry cask; very minimal sherry influence to me, though I suppose could explain the nuts. The lemon soda is unusual as well. Doesn’t sound like it would work on paper, but I like it.

Score: 83

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)