Review by: Raygun

Bowmore in a hogshead; hard to go wrong. This was an exclusive for S.Y.C Vino & Cigar Company, which is a company run by the bar owner who picked this cask. Distiller’s Art is a Hunter Laing brand, and I haven’t had many of them—maybe none. Seems like a mostly mid-tier brand from what I can tell. Reviewed from a bar pour. Rested about 10 minutes.

---

Distillery: Bowmore  

Bottler: Hunter Laing  

Region/style: Islay single malt Scotch

ABV: 52.6%. Cask strength.   

Age: 21 years old. Distilled in June 1996 and bottled in 2018.   

Cask type: Refill hogshead, 271 bottles.     

Color: Too dark to tell. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

---

Nose: Quite ashy; I might take this for Ardbeg blind. With some searching, I find some fruit, mostly peach and guava. Pineapple cakes. Opens up well with time. Even takes on some chocolate, which is odd for a bourbon cask.                      

Palate: Much more going on than the nose. In particular, some lovely passion fruit, pomelo, and buttery pastry, all embroidered with ashy smoke. Pineapple cake, and it just oozes caramel. I want to hold it in my mouth and get every bit of flavor. I love the smoky flavor of these older Bowmores. Something about it hits just right for me. The fruit is still clear, but there’s that extra edge to it.     

Finish: Caramel, pineapple cake, passion fruit sorbet, and smoky cookies. The ashiness has receded and it’s now heavier on the pastry side, still with the smoky edge. The smoke really sticks, with a slightly sweet barbecue sauce quality.          

---

Conclusion: Another excellent Bowmore. I swear, except for the OBs it’s almost impossible to go wrong with them. Nose was a little shy at first, but opened nicely with some time. And the palate was anything but. Rich, with some great tropical notes. Passion fruit especially is a favorite of mine, and as I’m also a fan of pineapple cakes, I appreciated that flavor as well. I would grab a bottle if I could.

Score: 88

---

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)