Whisky Review: Bowmore 21 Year (Late-90s)

Finally, the last of this series. This is also one of the older Bowmore's I've ever had the chance to try. The Prime Malt 21 Year/1982 is the same age, but drawn from a slightly later period. Assuming that this OB is actually from the late-90s, it should have been distilled somewhere in the late-70s. I guess we'll see how much of a difference that makes.

This whisky was aged in (I believe) a mixture of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, then bottled at 43%, probably with coloring and chill filtration.

I purchased this sample from the Old England Scotch House.

Bowmore 21 Year (Late-90s)

Nose: kind of closed - oak-y sherry, maple syrup/caramel, vanilla, baking spices (cinnamon), light lavender, a touch of peat. After adding a few drops of water the bourbon casks are emphasized and most of the other notes fade into the background.

Taste: surprisingly hot - moderate sherry sweetness up front, joined by some oak tannins and floral notes in the middle, maltier fade out with a touch of peat. After dilution it gets a little watery but the heat entirely disappears, the sherry up front is replaced by American oak sweetness, and the floral notes shift into the background.

Finish: lingering oak and lavender, grape/purple, sherry residue, fresh malt

This is something of an odd duck. It appears to have leapfrogged the worst of the lavender, but the result is something kind of generic. Given that the peat has faded even more, I would probably peg this as some kind of older Highland malt. The lavender is the only thing really connecting it to Bowmore, though even that is balanced enough here that I'm not sure I would automatically guess it. If it had some of the older Bowmore tropical fruit I would move it up a notch, but I couldn't really find any. So there's nothing wrong with this malt and I would drink more if offered, but I also don't get the feeling that it's something I need to search out in future.

For a slightly different take on what I think is the same whisky, see The Whiskey Jug.

Whisky Review: Bowmore 17 Year (Late-90s)

Last week's 12 Year was already deep in the lavender era. If the dating of this miniature is correct, the spirit should be drawn from the late-70s to the early-80s - the very front end of that period rather than the middle.

This whisky was aged in a mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, then bottled at 43%, probably with coloring and chill filtration.

I purchased this sample at the Old England Scotch House.

Bowmore 17 Year (Late-90s)

Nose: big floral notes (lavender) with a purple/grape tinge, clean malt underneath, caramel, very light sherry, creamy vanilla, tannic oak and dry peat (more with time), and something savory. After adding a few drops of water the lavender becomes more integrated, the sherry is stronger, plus there's a little more peat and savoriness.

Taste: sweeter malt and bourbon cask notes bouncing back and forth with big floral/lavender up front, shifts towards bittersweet oak tannins from the middle back. After dilution the sweetness up front is joined by some sherry, the oak near the back is joined by some caramel, and citrus peel comes out around the middle.

Finish: lingering lavender, sweet malt and bourbon cask, polished oak tannins, very light peat, slightly sour

There are a lot of similarities with the 12 Year I just reviewed, but age had noticeably improved this one. While the lavender is still over the top, it's a little more integrated, though the even more diminished peat isn't around to help much. I do like the balance of bourbon and sherry casks, since I feel like the former often lets the spirit shine more than the latter (at least in Bowmore OBs) Unlike the 12 Year I would drink more if offered, but it's not something I need to search out. While the current 18 Year has its flaws, I honestly think it's a better whisky.

Whisky Review: Bowmore 12 Year (Late-90s)

This is a really interesting one for me since I've tried various iterations of the standard 12 Year a few times as well as the 12 Year Enigma. If my guess for the late-90s bottling date is correct, this was drawing spirit directly from the most infamous period in the late-80s/early-90s.

This whisky was aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, then bottled at 43% with coloring and chill filtration.

I purchased this sample from the Old England Scotch House in Ravenna.

Bowmore 12 Year (Late-90s)

Nose: thin and kind of muddled - caramel, floral, citrus peel, baked apples, savory notes, light sherry and peat, somewhat plastic-y malt, buttery. After adding a few drops of water the sherry and floral notes become stronger, some hand soap emerges, while the peat and malt almost completely disappear.

Taste: caramel and citrus sweetness up front with lavender notes, carrying through to the back where there is a little more oak and the floral notes grow stronger, somewhat vegetal in the middle. After dilution it becomes extremely watery, the malt is creamier, but the flavors remain much the same.

Finish: strongly floral (lavender, especially), hand soap (especially after dilution) clean malt, caramel, light but lingering peat

Unlike Legend, this time I need to give the nod to the modern version. The problems that Bowmore became notorious for - muddled character, big floral notes, soap, and little peat - are on full display here. Surprisingly even the higher strength isn't enough to save it. 43% is a fairly significant bump, but it still reads as rather thin. Water just wrecks it. ABV isn't everything, I guess.

It was a bit better on the second tasting when I could get more peat, which helped to balance out the other elements, but even then it didn't hit the mark. While I think it could be useful for blending to add a twist to a fruitier malt, there's nothing about it on its own that grips me. This actually helps me to appreciate modern Bowmore, even if it still has room for improvement, because I can see how they managed to rein in some of their flaws while retaining their core character.

Whisky Review: Bowmore Legend (Late-90s)

Time for some blasts from the past.

I managed to find a(n almost?) full set of Bowmore miniatures in a tiny whisky shop in Ravenna called the Old England Scotch House. Tucked away in a side street not far from San Vitale, it's the kind of specialist shop that barely exists in the States. While my lack of checked luggage prevented me from getting any of enticing bottles, I was able to find some very fun things in their selection of miniatures.

This whisky was aged in ex-bourbon casks, then bottled at 43% with coloring and chill filtration.

Bowmore Legend (Late-90s)

Nose: classic bourbon cask Bowmore - fresh malt, dusty grains, gentle caramel, berries, pleasant peat smoke, floral vanilla in the background. After adding a few drops of water it becomes rougher but more expressive - the berries expand, the malt is creamier, and the peat and oak get a bit stronger.

Taste: malt and cask sweetness up front continuing through to the back with some floral flourishes, a little tannic with some berries in the middle, plus light peat notes underneath that expand going into the swallow. After dilution it become softer and much more fruity (almost sherried), with the peat arriving earlier and more strongly, but also more oak tannins.

Finish: dry peat smoke, grape-y oak, floral, sweet malt

While nothing show-stopping, I really enjoyed it. While maybe a little less complex than the newer Small Batch I tried a while back, it is less overtly youthful and a little more full-bodied thanks to being bottled at 43%. The trademark Bowmore floral notes are present here, but much less strong than I've found in other expressions. This was probably drawn from their 90s distillate after they had solved their problems from the 80s.

I was also pleasantly surprised by how well it handled water. While it did lose a bit of body, the brighter, fruitier flavors were quite welcome. Oddly that also meant that the finish had more of an alcoholic nip, but that might have been solved by more time in the glass.

These bottles apparently can go for big money now, which is either a reflection of people liking this even more than I do or the current mania for bottles from the past, whatever their quality. But like I said above, if you can still find something like Small Batch (defunct, but not impossible to find at its original price) you'll be pretty close without breaking the bank.

Whisky Review: Bowmore 9 Year Sherry Cask Matured

Bowmore's lineup has taken more twists and turns over the last decade than any Islay distillery short of Bruichladdich. Somewhere in there they transformed from a fairly stolid and almost forgotten producer of peated whisky, frequently derided for the controversial quality of their distillate, to a powerhouse commanding top-tier prices. At the same time, they've also pushed out a number of budget options since their long-standing Legend release disappeared.

Contrary to the label, this whisky was matured in both ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks, then bottled in 2016 at 40% with coloring and chill filtration.

I purchased this sample from Dramtime.

Bowmore 9 Year Sherry Cask Matured

Nose: a hodgepodge of classic sherry notes, rotting seaweed, ocean air, a touch of peat, clean malt, oak, cheap cinnamon, floral notes, and fresh vegetation. After adding a few drops of water the peat expands and the sherry becomes fruitier, the seaweed disappears, and some fresh apple cider notes emerge.

Taste: sherry sweetness with a sour edge up up front, which dries out and is joined by an undercurrent of dry peat building gently towards the back, with a flourish of malt near the end. After dilution it gets softer, the sherry spreads out, the peat is pushed towards the back, and there's more noticeable oak.

Finish: dry peat, fresh malt, sherry residue, mineral/clay - the drier elements linger for a surprisingly long time

I wanted to like this more. It has a lot of the Bowmore hallmarks that I enjoy. The aromas are definitely the best part, even if I found them muddled. The finish had surprising staying power, though I wasn't totally sold on the profile. Even the classic Bowmore floral notes that can be off-putting kind of worked here, though more peat would have helped.

Overall I mostly wanted a bit more punch. The flavors were a little forgettable, but I could see myself enjoying this on the regular if I wanted something mildly peated that didn't expect a lot of attention. As is, it's just a little too tepid for me to recommend it.

I'm just not entirely sure what they were trying to get at here. Is this supposed to be a cheap, approachable Bowmore to draw people in? Is it trying to make money off of casks that weren't good enough for their standard releases? Or was it just trying to feed the ravening consumers demanding something new all the time? I really can't tell.

Whisky Review: Bowmore 17 Year

Bowmore 17 Year preceded the now standard 18 Year, then was relegated to the travel retail section. While the 18 Year has a preponderance of sherry casks over bourbon casks, the 17 Year inverts the percentages and has a higher proportion of bourbon casks than sherry casks.

This whisky was bottled at 43% with coloring and chill filtration.

I purchased this sample as part of a gift set at the Bowmore distillery in 2013.

Bowmore 17 Year

Nose: fairly subtle - balanced sherry, malt, mossy peat, and American oak, a little savory and salty, coffee. After adding a few drops of water the oak and peat are slightly amplified, making it richer but simpler.

Taste: bourbon-y caramel up front, subtle peat and oak from the middle back, a touch of sherry with some more European oak going into the finish. After dilution the oak and peat are amplified, while the sherry spreads out underneath the other flavors alongside some floral notes.

Finish: sherry residue, oak, malt, earthy peat

While this has gotten a little tepid at full strength, it has the basic structure of the 17 Year that I tried during the distillery tasting and enjoyed quite a bit. Whether your prefer the 17 or 18 Year is mostly dependent on how much sherry you want in your Bowmore. I prefer the bourbon cask end of the spectrum, so this works for me, especially as I find the oak to be less aggressive. Sadly it is also long gone, so I'll have to make due with the cask strength 17 year old Bowmores I have waiting for me.

Whisky Review: Bowmore 15 Year Mariner (New Label)

Bowmore Mariner was another whisky that was aimed at the travel retail market during the 2000s and (I think) was discontinued around 2013.

This whisky was aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, then bottled in 2009 at 43% with coloring and chill filtration.

I purchased this miniature as part of a set at the Bowmore distillery in 2013.

Bowmore 15 Year Mariner (New Label)

Nose: classic Bowmore notes - balanced fresh malt and light herbal peat, red wine and berries in the background, seashore, a bit savory with a touch of something floral. After adding a few drops of water the wine notes mostly fade, leaving a soft bed of malt with more peat and a touch of ex-bourbon oak and caramel.

Taste: sweet wine opening, clear red wine and raspberry right behind, fading out through mild oak and a little bit of herbal peat, all on top of a base of clean malt with light violet/lavender top notes. After dilution it becomes more integrated, with less peat and a slight waxing and waning of the wine notes across the palate.

Finish: red wine residue, raspberry, a bit sour, a little oak, fresh malt, a touch of salinity

While the construction of this whisky and the Enigma are nominally very similar, the results are very different. The wine notes are far more present right off the bat, but they end up reading more like a red wine than a fortified wine finish to me. If it had hit like I expect a sherry finish to, sort of a more subtle Darkest, I could see myself drinking a lot more of this. It's nuanced but not flat, with excellent balance. I wouldn't pay over the odds for this, but if you like peat and wine finishes, this would be a good one to grab if you happen to stumble upon a bottle (WhiskyBase currently has a few at not wildly inflated prices if you're so inclined).

Whisky Review: Bowmore 12 Year Enigma

Bowmore Enigma was part of their travel retail lineup from the early-2010s. It was constructed similarly to the standard 12 Year, but with a higher proportion of sherry casks in the mix, much like the standard 18 Year.

This whisky was aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, then bottled in 2009 at 40% with coloring and chill filtration.

I purchased this miniature as part of a set at the Bowmore distillery in 2013.

Bowmore 12 Year Enigma

Nose: classic Bowmore mossy/ashy peat with a healthy dose of wood smoke, leather, cured meat, sweet sherry underneath, clean/fresh malt, vanilla, some jammy fruit. After adding a few drops of water the malt, peat, and barrel char become more clear, a little floral perfume emerges, while the oak and sherry retreat/turn into maple syrup.

Taste: opens with sweet malt and a layer of sherry, quickly overlaid with oak tannins, barrel char, and a rising wave of mossy peat smoke that crests and resolves into more oak tannins and some fruity malt going into the finish, plus a light citrus note riding over everything. After dilution the oak backs off a bit to reveal more sherry but less peat and it is generally more mellow throughout.

Finish: polished oak, tannins, dry peat smoke, a little sherry residue, background malt, tropical fruit

This is a solid Bowmore, especially considering that it's not at its best at their bottling strength and with their usual manipulations. I'd need to try them side by side, but this seems pretty close to the standard Bowmore 12 Year, albeit with a little bit more going on. The aromas and the tropical fruit notes in the finish are probably the best pieces, while the flavors are OK but unspectacular. Water helps in the sense that the oak is less assertive, but both the aromas and flavors become more simple. If you happen to stumble upon a liter bottle for, say, $50 or less it wouldn't be a bad deal if you already enjoy the 12 Year, but it's not something that I would go out of my way for.

Whisky Review: Bowmore Small Batch

Bowmore is one of the distilleries that has, for quite a bit longer than many other distilleries, had an NAS release holding down the bottom end of their core lineup. Before this was filled by Legend, but five or six years ago this was reformulated with the trendier Small Batch label. The new version was put together entirely from bourbon casks, without any sherry to temper the spirit.

This whisky is bottled at 40% with coloring and chill filtration.

Bowmore Small Batch

Nose: light but balanced - malt, herbal, smoke, dry Bowmore peat, berries, apple, floral vanilla. After adding a few drops of water the peat becomes drier and is joined by dusty oak, the sweetness mostly retreats except for a bit of vanilla, and the fruit/floral notes mostly disappear.

Taste: thin throughout - light malt sweetness, mint, vanilla, and vague smoke, oak in the background until the finish, with a little bit of plastic at the end. After dilution the sweetness is amplified up front, but the peat becomes stronger and dries out the finish.

Finish: vegetal peat, clean malt, light oak, background plastic

I will give Bowmore this - they've managed to make a completely inoffensive peated single malt. Unless you are opposed to peat in general, there is little to be bothered by here. Also, for an NAS malt, there are almost no rough edges. It can't hold a candle to their age dated single malts, let alone a bruiser like Tempest, but that's not its goal.

Where it really shines is in cocktails. I first had this drink at Dutch Kills in NYC and it's been one of my favorite Negroni variations ever since.

Smoked Negroni
1.25 oz Bowmore single malt
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 dash chocolate bitters

Combine all ingredients, stir with ice for fifteen seconds, then strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with an orange twist.

The nose dominated by the malt and peat of the whisky, with bitter notes from the Campari and vermouth in the background. The sip begins with moderate sweetness with hints of peat in the background, spice notes from the Campari and vermouth dominate the middle, with a fade out through oak and stronger peat, with grape from the vermouth in the background throughout. The finish is balanced between bitterness and peat, with the chocolate bitters finally showing up giving it a lingering burnt chocolate/coffee flavor.

Whisky Review: Rattray's Selection No. 1 19 Year Blended Malt

A.D. Rattray, an independent bottler whose owner is part of the family that used to own Bowmore, released a number of blended malts in the early-2010s that more or less slipped under the radar. Most of this has to do with the fact that anything with the word 'blend' in front tends to get a lot less traction with whisky geeks unless it comes from Compass Box, which in this case means that they really missed out. Getting a full strength whisky at almost two decades old composed entirely from sherry butts for under $100 would be almost unthinkable right now and was still a steal when it was released in 2010.

This whisky was constructed from four sherry butts - Auchentoshan 1991 (Cask 495), Balblair 1990 (Cask #1142), Benriach 1989 (Cask #50064), and Bowmore 1991 (Cask #2073) - that were married together and bottled at 55.8% without coloring or chill filtration.

Thanks to Michael Kravitz for this sample.

Rattray's Selection No. 1 19 Year Blended Malt

Nose: balanced sherry and mossy/ashy peat with solid intensity, savory malt, fresh baked bread, caramel, mild oak, and floral perfume. After adding a few drops of water the sherry is toned down, allowing the malt to becoming roughly equal, vanilla comes out, and it is much more savory overall.

Taste: a fair amount of alcohol heat through, sweet sherry up front, syrupy/salty with green fruit (apples, pears) and floral overtones in the middle, slowly transitioning into bittersweet with a prickle of peat and savory oak at the back. After dilution it becomes bittersweet throughout with more savory sherry and peat up front plus some ashes and stronger near the back.

Finish: lingering sherry residue, balanced malt and oak, wood ash

I really wish I had more time with this one. Even when I have a hard time teasing out the details, it's a really enjoyable whisky that neatly balances its constituent parts. It would be great if we could get more of these kinds of blended malts where peat is an element, but not as strongly as a full Islay single malt. With so few distilleries currently producing medium peated malts, this is one of the few avenues we have for enjoying those kinds of whiskies.

Whisky Review: Hepburn's Choice Bowmore 14 Year/2001 for K&L

I have a very mixed history with Bowmore. When they come out right, they can be a nearly transcendent balance of malt, peat, and fruit. When they fall flat, they're downright awful. That track record is even more mixed when it comes to cask picks from K&L Wines - the 11 Year Exclusive Malts cask they picked up a few years ago was a horrific mess. But when this cask went on sale the price was finally low enough for me to go in on a bottle split.

This whisky was distilled in 2001, filled into a refill sherry cask, then bottled in 2016 at 54.4% without coloring or chill filtration.

Hepburn's Choice Bowmore 14 Year/2001 for K&L

Nose: rich Bowmore malt with a solid but not overwhelming layer of dry peat, sherried fruits sit underneath alongside freshly treated lumber and sawdust, gentle floral overtones, coastal notes, vanilla, and almonds in the background. After adding a few drops of water the oak gains ground and becomes roughly equal in intensity with the malt, the peat becomes ashier, and a little bacon comes out, but it retains distinctly Bowmore character overall.

Taste: big sherry sweetness up front, quickly overtaken by a wall of oak tannins with a bit more of an edge from the dirty/earthy peat and a touch of black pepper, overtones of tropical fruit and berries in the middle, fading out with prickly tannins over sherried richness. After dilution the oak and sherry become more balanced and spread out across the palate, giving it a distinctly bitter cast, the peat becomes a bit ashier

Finish: bitter, almost astringent, oak tannins, sherry residue, dirt, earthy peat

From the specs, this sounds almost exactly what I like - an independently bottled full proof Bowmore from a sherry cask. The younger sherry cask from Exclusive Malts of the same vintage blew me away, but was too expensive ($100) for me to justify. The Hepburn's Choice cask was older and more attractively priced, but ultimately turned out to be over-oaked, which goes a way towards explaining why it was so cheap compared to other sherried full-strength Bowmores of comparable age.

I feel like this might appeal to fans of Laphroaig Cask Strength Batch 005 - a group of which I was not a member. The strong oak and sherry seem similar to what that was bringing to the table, albeit in a somewhat softer mode despite the almost equally high alcohol content. Speaking of which, this reads far lighter than its actual ABV, making me think of something in the 46-50% range than the bruiser it claims to be.

With all of this said, I think this whisky will appeal more to fan's of Bowmore's Devil's Casks releases - a review over at The Whisky Jug bears this out. But I was also curious if dilution would tame this cask into something more enjoyable for me.

Diluted to 50%

Nose: kind of closed - balanced sherry, peat, and oak, savory but indistinct overall, growing a bit stronger with time in the glass

Taste: big rounded - but not overly intense - sherried savory/sweetness up front, berries, sliding through prickly oak tannins to a more rounded and aromatic woodiness near the back, hints of peat going into the finish

Finish: juicy oak, sherry residue, very little peat, but kind of dirty

This strength is a kind of reverse-Goldilocks - there is little it offers that can't be found more effectively at full strength or 45%. The palate is superior to the nose, but never completely comes together. The difficulty is finding the remaining peat means that there isn't enough counterpoint for all the oak.

Diluted to 45%

Nose: lots of oak, barrel char, dirty peat smoke underneath, vanilla, a little green and floral, hints of sherried malt underneath

Taste: mild sherried sweetness up front, quickly picks up significant oak - becoming more aromatic and savory around the back, a little floral starting around the middle, green/vegetal peat and dry sherry shading into vinegar fading into the finish

Finish: long-lasting, savory oak, juicier sherry, slightly sweet malt, a little peat around the edges

This whisky becomes fairly peculiar at this strength. The oak is even more dominant on the nose, edging out almost everything else. At the same time the big aromatic twist going into the finish on the palate shows what the oak can be and reminds me a bit of Ben Nevis. Overall this is the least Bowmore-like strength since the peat is so hard to find, but it's appealing in its own way.

Whisky Reivew: Double Barrel Highland Park/Bowmore

Douglas Laing is a long established independent bottler. Given their deep stocks from distilleries all over Scotland, they also produce their own blends and blended malts. The Double Barrel series combines malts from two different distilleries that presumably have complementary character.

This whisky was bottled at 46% without coloring or chill filtration.

Thanks to Lydia for the sample.

Double Barrel Highland Park/Bowmore

Nose: fresh dry peat smoke, earthy, raw onion without the sulfur, green malt, lemon furniture polish. After adding a few drops of water the peat fades to reveal more fresh malt and a little pine comes out, but it remains rather simple.

Taste: malt sweetness throughout, very green but not overly new make-y, acidic peat smoke enters quickly with prickles of oak tannins, a little heather underneath. After dilution the malt dominates and the bitter/acidic notes of peat and oak smooth out, but the heather is lost until the finish.

Finish: distinctly bitter - sharp peat smoke and oak, background malt

Despite the conceit that this is a blended malt combining the character of two different distilleries, most of what I get from this is the Bowmore. It doesn't seem fundamentally different from Bowmore's own NAS releases such as Legend or Small Batch, but slightly amplified at 46%. I get a little Highland Park heather on the palate, but it would be easy to miss if you're not paying attention. Overall I would give this one a miss as it doesn't seem to be significantly better than other NAS malts that can be had for less money.

Whisky Review: Whiskybroker Bowmore 25 Year 1990/2015

This week I've gone through a whole range of Bowmores from different phases in the distillery's history. The two from 1999, while very different, represent what is currently being released. The Prime Malt from 1982 represented a low point. To round them off, I'll finish with something right in between, a malt that was distilled when they were starting to turn their production processes around.

This was distilled on May 29th 1990, filled into a refill bourbon barrel, then bottled on June 1st 2015 at 52.5% without coloring or chill filtration.

Whiskybroker Bowmore 25 Year 1990/2015 Cask #1163

Nose: classic Bowmore peat smoke, coal dust, savory dry malt, seashore, hay, buttery vanilla, orange creamsicle, mango, just a touch of floral character. After adding a few drops of water the peat smoke softens and integrates with the malt, the savory notes resolve into slightly charred cedar, the seashore notes are amplified, and some raspberry joins the other fruit.

Taste: malt sweetness quickly joined by moderate peat smoke, overtones of orange peel, undertones of polished oak and gentle bitterness, fading briefly around the middle, then big mango/tropical fruit notes starting at the back with dry peat smoke. After dilution the upfront sweetness is muted, the orange notes are amplified and joined by raspberry, the oak integrates further, the peat waits to come in around the middle, and the mango notes are even larger.

Finish: long earthy peat and mango, orange juice/peel, malt, gentle oak, long fade out through floral and oak notes

This is without a doubt a very nice old Bowmore. Zero flaws beyond a palate that doesn't quite match the nose or finish. The floral character that 80s and early-90s Bowmore is often prey to is just visible as an element rather than a dominant note, unlike the Prime Malt 1982 Bowmore. On the upside, the mango character is absolutely fabulous and is easily my favorite part of the whisky.

There are a lot of similarities with the less than half the age Signatory Bowmore I reviewed earlier, but the Whiskybroker cask amplifies many of the best things about the Signatory. It's a total bargain in comparison to the wildly expensive OB Bowmores of similar age and vintage, so if you're dead-set on getting an older Bowmore this will be far easier on your wallet than just about anything else you can find at the moment. I was sufficiently convinced to buy a bottle, though in no small part because it will be split with Michael Kravitz.

Whisky Review: Prime Malt Bowmore 21 Year/1982

Bowmore almost completely destroyed their reputation because of the whisky they were producing during the 1980s when Jim McEwan was the distillery manager. Complaints centered around overly floral spirit that was characterized by soap, which has come to be known as FWP (French Whore Perfume). At one point it got so bad that the distillery threatened to sue bloggers who talked about it on the internet. Thankfully things turned around in the 1990s and while their whisky is still more floral than many others on Islay, it no longer provokes the same kinds of complaints.

This whisky was distilled in 1982, firmly within the dubious period of production, likely aged in a or several hogsheads, then bottled at 46% without color or chill filtration by Gordon Bonding under their Prime Malt label.

Thanks to Florin for the sample.

Prime Malt Bowmore 21 Year/1982

Nose: intertwined malt and floral notes (lavender/violets), whipped cream, vanilla, gentle oak, fresh apple cider, strawberries, cherry cough syrup, cola concentrate, grape/purple, integrated peat smoke/incense, light savory notes, inoffensive soap. After adding a few drops of water the floral notes are slightly dialed down and joined by some bitter grapefruit peel and a much lighter note of orange peel, plus something waxy (beeswax/paraffin).

Taste: big malt sweetness up front, quickly joined by candied violets on top, apple skins, orange peel, and a touch of soap in the middle, with both malt and floral notes becoming drier towards the back - very little oak or peat to be found. After dilution the palate loses a bit of heft, but is otherwise largely unaffected except for a little bit more soapiness and a growing pleasant bitterness (grapefruit?) and touch of smoke (burning flowers?).

Finish: lingering floral and malt notes, a touch of something bitter and savory, marshmallows with powered sugar, gentle oak, dry peat

When people talk about the FWP era of Bowmore, this is exactly what they're thinking of. The floral character absolutely dominates the spirit, which is going to be very polarizing. Only a thin thread of peat remains, which otherwise might help to balance the floral character if it was more robust. While I don't get as much soap out of it as others who have sampled from the same bottle, I can see a bit of what they're getting at and agree that it gets worse with water.

With that said, I kind of like this is. It's weird and a bit unidimensional, but strangely engaging. This is a Bowmore from another era, when it was more frequently derided than praised. The original price was commensurately quite low, running in the mid-$70 range, less than half of what even lower priced indie Bowmores above 20 years old now go for.

Whisky Review: Alambic Classique Bowmore 16 Year 1999/2015

Alambic Classique is a German independent bottler of many different spirits, including single malt whisky. This whisky was distilled in the same year as the Signatory I reviewed on Monday, but instead of an ex-bourbon barrel this was filled into a sherry butt, left in the cask for longer, and bottled at its full strength of 56% rather than being proofed down. Let's see how they compare.

Alambic Classique Bowmore 16 Year 1999/2015 Cask #15302

Nose: loads of savory sherry, yeast extract, salty, malt/fresh bread, light and integrated peat, hints of raspberries, cherries, and oak, vanilla. After adding a few drops of water the savoriness grows stronger but seems more integrated with the malt than the sherry, there's a little bit of fresh sawdust, plus overtones of dark chocolate, walnuts, and tortilla chips.

Taste: fairly big sherry and malt sweetness up front, becoming drier towards the back, raisin and suggestions of something green around the middle, fading out with fizzy citrus peel, vanilla, and hints of oak and peat. After dilution the sherry and malt sweetness carry further and become more syrupy, while things kind of fall flat at the back.

Finish: sherry, citrus, malt, heat

Honestly, I found this a little boring. The smoke is almost entirely gone, leaving little in play but the sherry. The Signatory, while lacking any sherry to add complexity, ended up beating this by a mile. I can also make a contrast with the Exclusive Malts sherry cask Bowmore I tried a while back, which retained much more character and peat from the spirit. Given the almost complete lack of oak in the Alambic Classique, this feels like a tired cask that was rejuvenated with more sherry, adding wine but with very other extractives in the wood. While I think the spirit has contributed to the savory character, there's just not enough else going on to make me pick this over any number of other sherry-driven malts that are likely to cost a fair bit less money. Suffice it to say that this sample has not inspired me to buy a whole bottle, unlike a different sample coming later this week.

Whisky Review: Signatory Bowmore 11 Year 1999/2011

I've had pretty mixed experiences with Bowmore in the past, ranging from a fairly resounding 'meh' for their standard lineup to enjoying an Exclusive Malts release but thinking it was too expensive, to outright disgust at a K&L single cask. But through all of that I've believed that Bowmore makes good spirit that is too often treated poorly. So I was looking forward to trying this less heralded release from Signatory's Un-Chillfiltered Collection that I picked up a few years ago.

This whisky was distilled on April 4th 1999, filled into a bourbon barrel, then bottled on March 17th 2011 at 46% without coloring or chill filtration.

Signatory Un-Chillfiltered Bowmore 11 Year 1999/2011 Cask #800195

Nose: very aromatic, fresh malt, dry peat smoke, seashore/shells, grassy/floral, rubber, moderate oak, berries, vanilla. After adding a few drops of water the fruit notes are amplified, the peat tones down a bit and integrates with the malt,

Taste: big malt and oak sweetness up front, gentle tannins underneath and berries on top, fading into slightly rubbery peat and coal smoke, then growing mango/passion fruit notes at the back. After dilution the initial sweetness is slightly suppressed, the berry/fruit notes in the middle are amplified, and the peat and oak become stronger at the back, with undertones of vanilla emerging throughout.

Finish: malt, hints of peat smoke, tropical fruit, berries, gentle oak tannins, black pepper

While it took a decent fraction of the bottle for this malt to open up, it has turned into almost everything I could ask for from a young-ish peated bourbon cask whisky. There's sweetness, but not too much. Peat, but not so much that it overwhelms the other elements. Fruit, but not full Speyside. Oak, but not so much that I feel like I'm chewing on wood. At 46% there is plenty of flavor density and mouthfeel, but without the heat that would likely come if it had been at cask strength. It's just competent and tasty at a reasonable price ($54 when I bought it). Given how frequently I've been disappointed by Bowmore, either in terms of quality or price, this was a nice change of pace.

Experimental Whisky: North British/Auchentoshan/Bowmore Blend

One of the goals I've had in exploring blends is to see if I can replicate some of the blends that are already out there. While I don't have nearly as much whisky to work with, I can at least approach some of the flavor profiles.

Morrison-Bowmore, for a long time (before Suntory snapped up Beam), was composed of three different malt distilleries - the eponymous Bowmore on Islay, Auchentoshan in the Lowlands, and Glen Garioch in the Highlands. Unsurprisingly, these three malts were combined into a proprietary blend called Rob Roy.

While I currently don't own anything from Glen Garioch, I do have the standard 12 Year expressions from Auchentoshan and Bowmore and have previously found that they work well together.

•14 mL Sig. North British 16 Year CS
•6 mL water
•7 mL Auchentoshan 12 Year
•3 mL Bowmore 12 Year

North British/Auchentoshan/Bowmore Blend

Nose: fresh wheat bread, clean malt, grassy, cotton candy, grapes, wood smoke, a touch of mossy peat, dusty oak. After adding a few drops of water, it becomes brighter and more malty, the sherry is more apparent, and the peat really stands out - becoming much more smoky and coastal.

Taste: moderately sweet malt and grain up front, gaining sherry overtones and an undercurrent of oak with a bit of peat and smoke further back. After dilution, the malt becomes sweeter and more prominent, the peat and oak integrate while spreading out across the palate, giving it a more bittersweet profile overall.

Finish: grain, malt, mild peat and oak, a bit of sherry residue

For a grain-heavy blend proofed down to 40%, this was surprisingly tasty. Interestingly, the malt actually came to the fore after adding some more water, which is a property I've noticed from a handful of other blends before. This leads me to wonder if there is a rational for bottling most blends at a lower proof, beyond simple economics. Maybe some of them really do just work better that way? At the very least, I'm starting to believe that lower bottling proofs make the flavors of grain whisky less readily apparent, which would be a strong incentive for blends that are composed primarily from grain whisky.

Experimental Whisky: Aberlour 12 Year/Bowmore 12 Year Blend

While, as David D has pointed out, blending single cask releases is closer to how blends are actually made, I like to blend batch releases as well. This is both because they're often what I have open at the time and because it's a lot easier for other people to try making the same blends for themselves, as they are much more likely to be able to get their hands on them than single casks.

This was put together from the ends of my bottles of Aberlour 12 Year and Bowmore 12 Year with an eye towards mellowing the Bowmore peat while emphasizing the sherry cask element of both whiskies.

In all its caramel colored glory

Aberlour 12 Year/Bowmore 12 Year Blend

Nose: softer Bowmore peat, smoldering ashes, charred pine needles, herbal (marjoram, savory), gingerbread, sea air, salty, a touch of ham, overlapping styles of sherry influence, fresh raspberries, maple syrup. After adding a few drops of water, the smoke overtakes the sherry, giving it a drier character, with some incense emerging, and more cured meat.

Taste: slightly thin malt and sherry sweetness up front, darker sherry character and dusty grain around the middle, turning bittersweet near the back with sherry residue, red wine oak tannins, fresh ginger, and mild peat. After dilution, the sherry becomes less bright - but more dominant, with the other elements integrating, the ginger expanding across the palate, and the grain waiting until the end to show up.

Finish: mossy peat, vegetal, fresh malt, moderate oak, lingering sherry and red wine

This is one of those blends that is genuinely greater than the sum of its parts. This rounds off some of the things that I don't like about Aberlour 12 Year and Bowmore 12 Year as single malts, while bringing together their best elements. At 40% it's drinkable, but doesn't lose too much in terms of flavor density. If you have both of these at home, I highly recommend pouring a bit of each together to see what comes out.

Whisky Review: Bowmore 12 Year Revisited

My first couple of exposures to Bowmore were generally positive, but noted the limitations of their standard bottling proof. So it was with a bit of trepidation that I picked up a new bottle for a tasting I held last year. But Bowmore did seem like the least aggressive way to represent Islay peat, so I took the plunge. Since then I've been working my way through the bottle.

As always, this is bottled at 40%, almost certainly with chill filtration and coloring.

Bowmore 12 Year

Nose: dominated by dry mossy peat with a layer of wood smoke, plastic and cigarette ash notes around the edges, pine needles, fresh lumber, tropical fruits mixed with clean malt, shortbread cookies, herbal chocolate, a veneer of sherry, warm caramel with a hint of cured meat - everything becoming cleaner and more sherried with time. After adding a few drops of water, the oak becomes more assertive and the peat becomes earthier, the malt is more submerged, and the sherry nearly disappears, with some dark chocolate coming out.

Taste: moderate sherry sweetness up front that is rapidly balanced by oak tannins, with an undercurrent of cigarette ash emerging around the middle, then fading into clean malt, polished oak, and a rising tide of mossy/slightly decayed peat. After dilution, the flavors are more integrated, presenting a united front rather than unfolding in turn, the initial sweetness is more malty than sherried, some dark chocolate emerges around the middle, and the peat at the back is sharper (possibly because of the oak).

Finish: mossy peat over clean malt accented by sherry residue and polished oak

Once again, I am disappointed that Suntory has consistently let Bowmore's core range stagnate at low bottling proofs. This whisky could be so much more with craft presentation, but as is the spirit doesn't shine the way it should.

Bowmore should be rated highly by whisky geeks (despite the FWP era) given that they still produce a significant amount of their own floor malt and retain tight control over the rest of the mechanically produced malt they use, rather than buying Port Ellen malt like most of the distilleries on Islay. They have a highly regarded Master Blender in Rachel Barrie, who has also done solid work for Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch after a successful stint for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. Since 2004 Bowmore hasn't sold any of its malt to blenders, which puts it in a fairly small clutch of distilleries such as Bruichladdich and Benriach who are similarly focused on single malts.

But that success is exactly why the core range is what it is - as long as they maintain good sales, there is no incentive to change. We can grumble, but a lot of people enjoy Bowmore just the way it is. The Islay distilleries that closed or were sold on to new owners during the 1990s (Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain) are the ones that now put out their whisky with craft presentation as they needed a boost to stand out from their peers. The ones that chugged along during the lean years (Bowmore, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Caol Ila) have left their core releases largely unreformed as there has been no incentive to mess with successful formulas. This is also visible within the Suntory/Morrison-Bowmore stable - Bowmore and Auchentoshan maintained relatively steady sales during the slump and have basically stayed the same while the lesser known Glen Garioch has gotten a significant reformulation and bump in bottling proof. So I suspect that it would take another major shock to shake them out of their complacency. In the meantime I'll be sticking to indie releases of Bowmore.

Exclusive Malts Bowmore 12 Year 2001/2013

While Bowmore was the subject of derision for a number of years due to issues with their distillate in the late-80s and early-90s, there has been a resurgence of interest in recent years as their late-90s and early-2000s distillate becomes mature enough to bottle and the potential of the distillery has been emphasized with growing interest in older bottles like the Black, White, and Gold 1960s-vintage Bowmores. On top of that, recent special releases like The Devil's Casks have sold out in record time, suggesting that even their younger spirit can attract a lot of attention.

What we have here is a refill sherry cask from 2013 that was bottled by The Exclusive Malts at 58.4% without chill filtration or coloring. Let's see how it measures up.

Thanks to Helen at ImpEx Beverages for the sample.

Exclusive Malts Bowmore 12 Year 2001/2013

Nose: perfectly balanced peat smoke - right in between ashy, tarry, and vegetal, undergirding oak tannins, subtle sherry influence, crisp/dry Bowmore malt (seriously takes me back to standing on their malt floor), a touch of meaty sulphur, light maritime notes, some of the off wood notes I found in Devil's Casks. After adding a few drops of water, it becomes greener and fresher, with the peat fading slightly and shifting into a wood/fresh peat smoke mode, while the sherry continues to peek around the edges with brighter and lighter character.

Taste: clean malt with restrained sweetness up front, segues into dank sherry, which slides into tar, peat, and cigarette ash, with some almost wine-y oak tannins underneath, resinous pine/cedar right at the back. After dilution, the palate becomes much more tame - the sherry becomes brighter and slides forward over a lot of the malt, while the peat becomes much more restrained and fudge-y, though the odd resinous wood notes at the back now seem more obvious.

Finish: creosote-preserved logs, mossy peat, sherry residue, hints of dry malt, graham crackers

This just about makes up for the god-awful 2002/2013 Exclusive Malts Bowmore that I tried earlier this year. This is almost exactly what I want out of a sherried Bowmore: their distinctive malt character, waves of tarry smoke - all barely held together by the sherry influence. The flavors don't beat you about the face like some cask strength whiskies, but they're gripping. This is also much, much better than Bowmore's own Devil's Casks - the sweetness is less unsettling, the sherry is less overt, and the weird wood notes are much less aggressive.

As always, the sticking point is price. The best I've found - and there aren't many places that appear to have any left - is north of $100. Sadly, much like indie Laphroaig, that's just where the market is for Bowmore right now, double if it's from a sherry cask, because the distillery just isn't selling many casks anymore and demand has grown exponentially. But if you're the kind of person who likes Bowmore enough to pay the prices asked for Devil's Casks or Dorus Mor, I think you'll be very, very pleased with this one. I'm tempted, but it's just too far over the odds for me to pull the trigger.