| ABV |
43% |
|---|---|
| Aging |
18 years; Bourbon and Sherry Casks |
| Recipe |
100% Malted Barley |
| Distiller | Bowmore (Bowmore, Scotland) |
I actually know very little about this bottling, other than that it was the replacement for the Bowmore 17 year old in 2007 and that it is made from a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
Review (2014)
Batch: N/A
Bottling Code: N/A
Bottling Date: ~2013
Nose: Vanilla, oak, ash, caramel, a bit of pine, and a slight sourness come through, with a slight touch of acetone. There’s some citrus too – orange and lemon zest. It’s ok – but not outstanding.
Taste: Smoke seems to come in at first, edging out the slightly sour and salty whisky – with the oak taking its place more firmly with some spices towards the finish. That being said, the whisky isn’t overly oaky. There are hints of orange throughout. I find a good level of underlying sweetness – I wouldn’t describe it as sweet, but it is at a good level to balance the salt, the sourness, and the smoke.
Finish: This whisky really takes off here – first smoke, which soon breaks down to vanilla, oak, dried apricot, black pepper, and caramel. The smoke, with a slightly salty edge, remains for some time. The mouth dries out slightly after some time.
This whisky is ok, but I hope for a bigger base for the gentle peat and some more subtlety than I find here, especially after 18 years in a cask.
Recommended (81% of whiskies I’ve reviewed to date get this recommendation or higher).
Value: Low. Close to $200 for me means that this has to be one of the best whiskies you can buy, so not a value pick for me.