...where distraction is the main attraction.

Friday, December 31, 2021

Thursday, December 30, 2021

Concluding the Bowmore cluster

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

I needed something to get me to the end of 2021, something emotionless and focused, a simple trail to follow. This cluster served that purpose. And now I'm here and the end of the 24th month of 2020 has arrived. I'm going to take a break from clusters for a while, bringing back variety, or perhaps even a little chaos in 2022, since chaos has been the order of the day. But before that, I need to complete this series.

At the Bowmore cluster's halfway point, I highlighted how there was little difference in the quality between the OBs and the IBs. The second half of the series had zero official bottlings, and by the end I became interested in the Sherry Casks vs. the Bourbon Casks.

The Rankings!

Total Bowmores - 19
Mean - 85.58
Median - 86
Mode - 86

In the first half, the sherry casks had a ratings lead over the bourbon casks: 84.4 to 81.3. But the story flipped in the second half. In the latter half alone, the bourbon casks won out, 85.5 vs. 88.6. And though there were way more bourbon casks than sherry casks in the second half, 7 versus 2, it was the other way around in the first half, 3 berbs versus 7 sherries. So, unintentionally, the two types nearly equal in number.

Overall, the bourbon cask Bowmores edge out the sherry cask Bowmores, 86.4 to 84.7. If I lop off the highest and lowest score in each category, the scores get even closer: 87.3 to 86.3.

Because the sample size of one type was very small on each side of the midpoint, it's difficult to come to a solid conclusion. But it did seem like time and mild casks worked wonders for the bourbon vessel share, while youth and perky butts helped the sherried portion. So the victor depends what one's palate desires. Though a sherry cask release took first prize, the consistent high quality of the older hoggies won my heart in the end.

The Notes!

Because the '80s (and the ‘80s distillery management) were unkind to Bowmore's spirit, I'm only going to focus on the latter 17 members of this series. Also, please note, I am not counting descriptors like "peat", "smoke" and "sweet" unless my notes are more specific. I'm looking for more detail here.

The most used NOSE notes:




This surprised me because I thought I was using "Coastal", "Kiln" and "Seaweed" in almost every review. To me, those are part of the soul of the Bowmore spirit. But I'm glad to see there was a lot of variety in the nose notes across the cluster, and it's great to see that apricots and manure made the list! And I only said yuzu twice.

The most used PALATE notes:


Well, "herbal bitterness" and I go way back. The "pepper" category includes chiles, chile oil and cayenne, FWIW. What's curious about the limes, lemons and "tart citrus" is that those notes almost never overlapped. Combining them (and grapefruit) into one category would have put them in first place with 14. So my palate finds the citrus and salt in Bowmore very frequently.

The most used FINISH notes:

This confirms my unoriginal theory that Bowmore is one of the saltiest single malts. And when that salt mixes with fruits and phenolics, I am one happy drinker. Curiously, the whole tart citrus sensation only carried over into the finish about half the time. Salt and bitterness seemed to have more stamina.

The End!

The key to the pleasure of this cluster may have been the gentleness of the majority of the casks, especially the hogsheads. (Note the lack of "vanilla" and "tannic" and "woody bitterness" in those lists above.) The Bowmore spirit, since 1990, has been a glorious thing, and may even become a bit classy in its 20s. If Suntory can't figure out how to keep the oak levels down in their official releases, I hope more casks somehow find their way to the independent bottlers. If not, then we'll all miss out on something special.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Bowmore 17 year old 1991 AD Rattray, cask 2059

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

This cluster concludes with one more of those AD Rattray Bowmore casks about which I never shut up. I'll have to pipe down about them now, because I don't see a path to sourcing more of them. Also the Morrisons may be running low on this part of their stash. From 2005-2018, not a year went by without one ADR Bowmore release, but after only one in 2018 there hasn't been another since. So it goes.

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: AD Rattray
Age: 17 years old (15 July 1991 - 30 June 2009)
Maturation: sherry cask
Cask #: 2059
Outturn: 340 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 58.1%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Peated milk chocolate cherry cordials start the nose. There's a significant heft to the peat, reading like Port Charlotte or Ballechin. One may also find fresh ginger and pineapple, orange peel and mint, and just a hint of soap. Reducing the whisky to 46%abv brings out that great kiln note I've been referencing recently. That's followed by damp leaves, almond extract, the ginger/pineapple note and the drop of soap.

The palate begins with a blast of sherry cask dried fruits and wood smoke. Then almond butter and homemade marshmallows (a fancy fluffer nutter). Salt, dried orange slices and a wormwood bitterness hide in the background. At 46%abv, the peat and sweet merge nicely. Less bitterness. More almond cookies. Hints of savory and tanginess around the edges.

It finishes with peat ash, salty almond butter, and "Macallan-but-burnt". It's similar, but sightly better at 46%abv. The Macallan-ish sherry cask-style remains, but it's less burnt. Savoriness and lemon join the peat and salt.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I tried this sherry cask Bowmore side-by-side with Monday's 25yo. Both improved with water, but neither sang the way I expected them to. This one had the slight edge because it was the better balanced of the two when neat. The nose's soap and the palate's generic sherry cask notes held this one back. Despite that, I wish I'd gotten a bottle of this when it was €75 twelve years ago!

Whew. After today's anticlimactic finish, I'm going to pull my notes together to provide the Cluster Conclusion tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - €75 in 2009
Rating - 86 (diluted)

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Bowmore 16 year old 1993 The Perfect Dram (53.8%abv version)

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

In 2010, The Whisky Agency bottled three separate 16 year old 1993 Bowmore hogsheads without cask numbers, with nearly identical labels. Graphic design doesn't change the flavor of the whisky (yet), but that approach is confusing. Anyway, one last sherry-free Bowmore for the year...

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: The Whisky Agency
Range: The Perfect Dram
Age: 16 years old (1993 - 2010)
Maturation: bourbon hogshead
Outturn: 222 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 53.8%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose has that perfect balance of kiln and seaweedy smoke. Then fresh herbs, fennel bulb, lemon peel, toasted pecans and a hint of watermelon candy. Diluted to 46%abv, the whisky shows less smoke, but more fruit variety (plums and apricots join the lemons) with a hint of rose blossoms in the back.

The zippy palate is full of bitter chocolate, charcoal smoke, horseradish and lemons. It has a great bitterness and just a touch of metal. At 46%abv, it's simpler, much more peppery, with oranges and ashier peat.

It finishes with lemon, salt and horseradish up front, dried herbs and smoke in the back. At 46%abv, the finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Another great lazy cask lets the coastal spirit shine, especially at the reasonable full strength. It may not be as complex as other Bowmores from this cluster, but it is exactly what I'd want from a 16yo Islay malt. I have a feeling there were hundreds of such hogsheads filled with 1990s Bowmore distillate made available by independent bottlers. I hope many of you obtained a bottle or two or seven of these, opened them, shared them and enjoyed them.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 88 (when neat)

Monday, December 27, 2021

Bowmore 25 year old 1994 Adelphi, cask 554

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

Down to the final week of 2021 and this cluster, I wonder, "Is everyone cheering the end of both?"

Today's single Bowmore cask has the largest age statement of this series. Twenty-five year old sherry cask Islays will never again be cheap, and neither will Adelphi releases (just because), so this one appeared with a price tag three times that of last week's lovely 22yo OMC bottlings. But one cannot be angry at an inanimate object for the actions of humans. The whisky's price is not its fault, but hopefully it'll taste good!

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Adelphi
Range: Limited
Age: 25 years old (1994 - 2019)
Maturation: refill sherry butt
Cask #: 554
Outturn: 498 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 54.2%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose feels closed at first with fleeting whiffs of orange peel, ash and cut grass. The ash note expands then shifts towards wood smoke. Small bits of cherry candy and butter become cloaked in menthol. It improves once diluted to 46%abv, as it picks up seaweed, seaside and cold kiln notes, followed by limes, baked pineapple and charred marshmallows.

The palate comes across kind of wonky and weird. It's very ashy and plasticky, yet also sweet and tannic. A little bit of salt and seaweed in the background. Dilution also helps here, once the whisky is reduced to 46%abv. The tannins and sweetness recede. The ash and plastic are replaced by kiln smoke. Citrus peels appear along with a good (not-woody) bitterness.

It finishes tangy, smoky, sweet, metallic and very burnt. Much better again at 46%abv, as the lemons, herbal bitterness, dry peat smoke and a touch of sweetness linger.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

As per my notes, water is the key to this whisky, though it still doesn't strike me as something I'd pay €135 for, let alone its €335 primary market price from two years ago. Perhaps my palate has been spoiled across these seven weeks of high quality Bowmores, but this cask does not fill me with the exuberance experienced by the Whiskybase community. I think it's pretty good stuff at 46%abv, so if you're struggling with your bottle, get out your pipette, eyedropper, or turkey baster and have at it.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - I dare not look
Rating - 85 (diluted)

Friday, December 24, 2021

Bowmore 22 year old 1996 Old Malt Cask, cask 15354 for K&L

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

The final '96 Bowmore of the cluster is one that was much loved by Mr. Opinions. I'm not sure how often he has given a K&L pick 91 (non-EW) points, but the two of us tend to agree on indie Bowmore's quality, so I was anticipating regretting not purchasing another bottle. At least I got in on a bottle split, so I figured I wash that regret down with the Bowmore itself.

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Range: Old Malt Cask
Age: 22 years old (June 1996 - July 2018)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Outturn: 258 bottles
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Alcohol by Volume: 53.9%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Nose (neat) - I don't find much at the start, which weirds me out. Maybe some toasty oak, a hint of manure, grapefruit......And then at the 30-minute mark come piles of guavas and toasted seaweed.
Nose (diluted to 46%abv) - Ah here it is. The grapefruit, guava, seaweed and smoke align and lift off, floating above a table of freshly carved cured meats.

Palate (neat) - The palate doesn't tarry. Chiles, lemons, peaches, ocean, heavy smoke. Minerals and ink. A bold tartness develops with time.
Palate (diluted to 46%abv) - The fruit becomes more floral, if that makes sense (if any of my notes make sense). There's a little bit of bitter chocolate and savoriness now. A slight herbal bite.

Finish (neat) - Ocean and smoke meets guavas and white peaches, and it gradually gets fruitier.
Finish (at 46%abv) - Lemony smoke blends with a great herbal bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

There are times when whisky wears me out. And I don't mean The Scene (which I lost contact with a few years back). Balancing this liquid that's become a symbol of conspicuous consumption, with finding the right amount to sip before the negative physical effects slip in, and just trying to find the right time for a casual drink, starts to require more energy than I care to spare.

And then I sip something terrific, two things terrific. This pair of OMC casks (Wednesday's and today's) gave me that reminder I need every once in a while, kindling an enthusiasm that's been in short supply, in general. When a whisky says, "Psst, I'm fucking fabulous. Cheer up, old man," I can still hear it.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 90

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Bowmore 22 year old 1996 Old Malt Cask 20th Anniversary, cask HL 17091

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

I started Monday's review mentioning the triple Taste-Off of 1996 Bowmores that I'd fulfilled last Saturday. And, yes -- spoiler alert? -- it was a wonderful lineup. It's a cluster within a cluster, a highlight within a highlight.

The second whisky of the hoggie trio is one of Hunter Laing's Old Malt Cask 20th Anniversary offerings. These anniversary casks rolled out the same time as Signatory's 30th Anniversary whiskies. Laing didn't add much of a premium (if any) to the prices of their celebratory whiskies, while Signatory boosted their suggested prices 50%-100%. And, frankly, the OMCs interested me more, with Bowmore, Ardmore, Craigellachie and Inchgower among the crowd. Of course, I never got around to buying any, of course. I should have bought this one.

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Range: Old Malt Cask
Age: 22 years old (June 1996 - August 2018)
Maturation: hogshead
Outturn: 288 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 50%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Nose (neat) - The peat arrives more as moss and earth than smoke, and it mixes elegantly with peach puree, yuzu and grapefruit. Gentle farm notes and eucalyptus drift around the edges. A little of the coast (the Irish west coast to me) lingers in the background.
Nose (diluted to 46%abv) - The fruit moves forward, everything else recedes. A little of Ardmore-like beach/wood smoke in the background. Maybe a hint of a creamy confection.

Palate (neat) - A balance of peat and sweet. Chile oil and mango juice. Charred bell pepper skins and orange peels. A slight bitter herbal glow.
Palate (at 46%abv) - Minerals and smoke. Cinnamon mixes with the mango. What a mouthfeel!

Finish (neat) - I find nectarines merging with the chile oil. Bitter herbs and wood smoke.
Finish (at 46%abv) - It's sweeter and fruiter, with a puff of cigar smoke in the background.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I'm actually sipping the second ounce in between typing up these paragraphs. So, my apologies if the paragraphs are short.

The chiles swirl through the lightly tart and sweet nectarine and mango juices. And, yeah. The damned thing was bottled around my 40th birthday and I didn't buy it. Cheers to those who did.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 90

Monday, December 20, 2021

Bowmore 19 year 1996 AD Rattray, cask 960059

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

On Saturday night, I did a triple Taste-Off of 1996 Bowmore single hoggies, which puts it in the running for The Evening of the Year. I'd like to thank past-me for scheduling such a thing.

AD Rattray's cask #960059 bats leadoff. This is the fourth '96 Bowmore ADR single cask review on this site, which is positively Valentinian! Anyway, I ♡ their Bowmores so I'll skip the babble.

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Independent Bottler: A.D. Rattray
Age: 19 years (27 March 1996 - 5 May 2015)
Maturation: hogshead
Cask number960059
Bottle count: 275
Alcohol by Volume: 49.2%
(from a purchased sample)

NOTES

The simple, lean nose focuses first on barley, BBQ peat and saline. There's never any heat, nor vanilla. Small notes of new tires, cured pork and apricots develop after a while. Diluted to 46%abv, the whisky develops a good balance of farm, beach, smoke and saline.

Salt, lemons and seaweedy peat arrive in the palate first, followed by apricot jam and pink peppercorns. It takes on a mix of heat, pepper and bitterness after a half hour, but then shifts back to seaweed and stone fruits at the hour-mark. The fruits get sweeter at 46%abv, and are met with wood smoke and hints of chile peppers and salt.

The peat reads loudest in the finish, with salt, lemons and apricot jam in the background. It takes on bitter herbs and peppercorns with time. Reduced to 46%abv, it finishes with a blend of sweet fruits and peat.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Though it's not the most sophisticated member of the cluster, this whisky is a very crisp and solid pour, offering a great demonstration of 19 years in a lazy cask. The curiously low ABV turns out be a good strength here, and I like the whisky more than its stronger sibling cask 960057. It feels like a good autumn evening malt, or perhaps something to enjoy at the beach on a cool spring night. Or to pair with two other '96s...

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 87

Friday, December 17, 2021

Bowmore 21 year old 1997 Douglas Laing Private Stock

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

Douglas Laing's Private Stock range is from the "Laing family's personal Whisky collection" as per their website. I suppose that means the Private Stock casks are those that the Laings keep for themselves rather than selling their customers......except when they bottle the casks to sell to their customers. Some of the Private Stock releases appear to be partial casks, like today's Bowmore, and sometimes the outturn looks like a full cask. That the approach seems slightly scattered, also makes it feel more like these are legitimate personal picks. I'm happy to give one a try.

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Range: Private Stock
Age: 21 years (June 1997 - December 2018)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Outturn: 51 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 48.8%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

A swirl of spent motor oil, piney peat and fresh rosemary fill the nose, with smaller notes of rye bread and citronella candles in the background. It becomes fruitier at 46%abv, with oranges and guavas merging with the smoke.

The palate arrives with precise balance. First: smoke and salt, with a hint of sweetness. Then: a squeeze of lemon and a bit of baked pineapple, and a whiff of farm in the background. Diluting it to 46%abv barely alters it, with just a little more citrus and herbal bitterness arising.

It finishes with the smoke, salt and citrus all in tune. The smoke drifts back forth between kiln and cigarettes. At 46%, the citrus and salt take the fore.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This style, possibly my favorite contemporary Islay approach, is what I've been waiting for. Every part of this whisky is in tune, nothing overwhelms. All peace, no violence. My notes on this are brief because I was in "Damn" mode during the whole tasting. If just a couple more of these Bowmores approach this level, then this will be my favorite cluster so far.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - probably quite high
Rating - 90

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Bowmore 20 year old 1997 Old Particular, cask DL 12122 for K&L Wine Merchants

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

Monday was 1998. Today and Friday it'll be 1997. (I wish.) Whisky #7 in this cluster was also a K&L Old Particular Bowmore bottled in 2017. Younger and from a smaller cask, that one was kinda nude and kinda raw, but not as saucy as that sounds. I won't hold that against this whisky, because single casks offer a variety of views into each distillery's whisky. Had I still lived in California when this hit the shelves, I probably would have given it a chase. Because 20+ year old Bowmore.

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Range: Old Particular
Exclusive to: K&L Wine Merchants
Age: 20 years (March 1997 - September 2017)
Maturation: refill hogshead
Cask #: DL 12122
Outturn: 256 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 52.7%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

Another nearly naked nose. I enjoy these notes of broken rocks, lemon zest, kiln and a little bit of farm. With time it picks up hints of flowers, mango, toffee and pencil shavings. The nose gets simpler once the whisky is reduced to 46%abv, but it's well-balanced. More limes than lemons. More wood smoke than kiln.

The palate begins with mezcal?!?!!1/! At 20 years old? A good mezcal at the beach. Ah, now some super tart fruits form a shell around it. The smoke gets heavier, almost metallic, after some time in the glass. Diluting it to 46%abv helps out matters. The smoke gets ""better"" and ""older"". (My handwritten notes have the actual "" in them. I don't know.) Anyway, the limes and grapefruits become more vibrant and a good bitterness appears.

It finishes with heavy kiln smoke, salt and herbal bitterness, which doesn't change much after the whisky is dropped to 46%abv.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

First off, I appreciate that K&L selected low-oak Bowmores when it came to these two Old Particulars. Neither is an easy whisky. I prefer this one, though again the nose far outpaces the palate. And, again, dilution helps. Had I found all those nice fruits that My Annoying Opinions references in his review, we likely would have had the same score. What can I say? That man just loves K&L.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $149.99 back in 2017
Rating - 86

Monday, December 13, 2021

Bowmore 13 year old 1998 Asta Morris, cask AM003

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

This cluster's final nine Bowmore single malts were all distilled between 1991 and 1998. I know a lot of folks like Bowmore's early Aughts the best, but I tend to prefer this '91-'98 timeframe. Aside from this first pour, these remaining whiskies will have some age on them, with five cracking the 20 year mark.

Today's Bowmore was one of the earliest releases by Asta Morris, a Belgian independent bottling company started by former Malt Maniac, Bert Bruyneel. This is only the second Asta Morris I've tried, the first being a great 2000 Ardmore. I'm unable to moderate my expectations here...

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Bottler: Asta Morris
Age: 13 years (1998 - 2011)
Maturation: maybe a bourbon barrel?
Cask #: AM0003
Outturn: 211 bottles
Alcohol by Volume: 49.7%
(from a purchased sample)

NOTES

The nose begins filled with salty ocean air, barley, brown sugar, shortbread and fresh kettle corn. Steel wool and kiln linger in the background. Notes of grapefruit, young calvados and apricot jam develop over the next 30 minutes.

The palate starts off with hay, hay smoke, wool, grapefruit and lychee. More citrus and perky bitterness appear soon after. It remains gently sweet and earthy as the smoke gradually tilts towards cigars.

It finishes with earth, stones, hay, limes, grapefruit and salt.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

If all young Islay single casks tasted like this I would be damned broke right now. The very low ABV worked in the whisky's favor, and I could not bring my pipette to alter the pour. Though this could have stayed in its cask for a few more years in order to tease out more complexity, that would have risked the oak elbowing in. My guess is most current producers would have risked that, but Asta Morris's conservative approach resulted in a crisp high quality Bowmore.

Availability - Sold out a decade ago
Pricing - ???
Rating - 89

Friday, December 10, 2021

Halfway through the Bowmore Cluster

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

I received an email this morning from a popular European whisky retailer promoting their newest wares. One of the new whiskies was a 17 year old 2003 Bowmore. Its price: €279.

This is why I won't be opening any Bowmore bottles for this cluster. Because I don't have any more Bowmore bottles. As this cluster will likely demonstrate, independently bottled Bowmore is of considerable quality, so a purchaser is very likely to possess some good brown poison when buying a bottle of the stuff. But the prices are unsettling. Yes, the bottlers are following the market, selling their whiskies at prices that people are indeed paying. But who are you people? And are you aware of the apocalyptic terror behind your FOMO? This situation is not about whisky anymore.

This isn't a plea for everyone to lower whisky prices for me. With producers — of both corporate and independent ventures — going Full Meth Dealer on their customer base, while pushing oak-filled often-neutered products, I'm not sure I'd rush back to buy anything other than daily drinkers, even if prices were to fall by 50%. I've already spent a lot of money on whisky over the past dozen years, and I possess more unopened bottles than I need, of whisky styles I like.

**RANT OVER**

This Bowmore cluster has been ruled by the sherry casks. Of my top three faves so far: one had little-to-moderate cask influence; one blended its strong spirit with a vibrant-but-controlled cask; and one was just freaking awesome. And all were bottled 5 to 9 years ago.

"But, sir," you say. "70% of the cluster's whiskies were bottled during that same time frame. What's your point?"

And I say, "Well, it's simple......Hey what the hell's that over there? SMOKE BOMB!" And you'll never know I ran away.

(If it makes you feel any better, the majority of the remaining Bowmores were bottled 2-4 years ago. Nothing newer, though. Prices have gotten so high that even bottle split commitments are getting hefty.)

Not too many of us expected the OBs to beat the IBs in this series, but their mean scores aren't too far apart so far. 82.8 versus 84.2. And they're in a virtual tie if I drop out the two lowest scores. Yet, the official bottlings, other than the 2012 Feis Ile superstar, have had limited palate appeal. Three were all cask, no spirit (the "all hat, no cattle" of the whisky world?), and another was something I'd rather forget. Fortunately for my tastebuds, but unfortunately for my math, the remaining nine Bowmores are all independently bottled single casks. So we may never know who would win.

One final observation before we all enjoy our weekends.

The peat level in these ten whiskies has varied widely from Bowmore to Bowmore, probably ranging between "2" and "7" in Serge Valentin's SGP scale. That's one of the pleasures of single casks, and especially of Bowmore itself. Sometimes it's a whisper, sometimes it's a shout. Perhaps life is less like a box of chocolates and more like a warehouse of Bowmore casks. Just lock me in there alone and go piss off. 

Er, I mean I would love to share it all with you. Happy Friday!

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

Bowmore 18 year old, Feis Ile 2020

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

Monday's glorious Feis Ile Bowmore may be this cluster's Whisky to Beat. Like that one, this Bowmore lived in sherry casks for some time, then spent an extra year in bottles when the 2020 festival was cancelled. Its outturn was four times the size of the 2012's thanks to Feis Ile's swelling attendance.

I'm just assuming I'll never attend Feis Ile. That's not due to the crowd of international taters nor the public drunkenness. Rather my 2012 Whisky FOMO developed into Whisky TOMO ("T" = "Thrill") before 2020. Now I get to try things years or decades late!

Anyway, here's some first fill sherry cask Bowmore. Let's see if it can compete with the 2012 release.


Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Age: at least 18 years
Bottled: 2020
Sold: 2021
Maturation: first-fill Oloroso sherry casks
Outturn: 3000 bottles
Bottled for: Feis Ile 2020
Alcohol by Volume: 51.2%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

A very different whisky than Monday's 15yo. Peat doesn't take the lead in the nose, instead it starts with anise, butter and Luxardo cherry syrup. Then comes a mineral-like peat, which then takes 20+ minutes to get earthier. Elmer's glue and dates fill in the gaps. Diluting it to 46%abv, makes the nose peatier and more herbal. Chocolate and mint join the dates.

The palate is darker, smokier and pepperier than the nose. Some veg and grass, burnt and unburnt in the midground. Milk chocolate and salt. Fortified wine in the background. Smoke and sweetness are better balanced once the whisky is reduced to 46%abv. It also picks up limes, hay and fennel seed.

Lots of pepper and ash in the finish, with smaller notes of salt and dried berries around the edges. At 46%abv, the finish matches the palate.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

I wasn't shocked to discover that the casks in the 2020 bottling were much more active than those in the 2012. So it goes. Dilution helps this whisky out, putting things in balance, perhaps merging the blend better. There's a chance this would have fared better had it not been paired with Monday's whisky, but perspective is part of the cluster package.

Availability - Secondary market
Pricing - £300-£500
Rating - 86 (with dilution)

Monday, December 6, 2021

Bowmore 15 year old, Feis Ile 2012

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

This week brings a pair of official Feis Ile limited bottlings to the Bowmore cluster. Neither has a listed vintage but complex maths tell me that they fit into this part of the cluster. Both are of a very dark due, and from sherry casks, so I'm pairing them off against each other. After these, the remainder of the cluster belongs to the indies.

First up, Feis Ile 2012. For that hardy party, Bowmore rolled out two bottlings. One was a 26 year old. I have a sample of the other:

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Age: at least 15 years
Bottled: 2012
Maturation: sherry cask(s)
Outturn: 750 bottles
Bottled for: Feis Ile 2012
Alcohol by Volume: 55.4%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

I could tell you about the nose's nocino and fig notes, but they're far in the background. The real story here is how this Islay whisky smells like 1980s Brooklyn. Hot tar, bus exhaust, tennis balls, tire fires and some odd dumpster funk. I am strangely moved by this sense memory. It loses no power once reduced to 46%abv, but shifts styles a bit. More chalk and earth appear, as so dried stone fruits. Industrial smoke stacks loom largest.

The palate starts with big savory peat, charred beef and charred bell pepper skins. Cruciferous veg and chile oil in the middle, figs and limes in the back. It gets sweeter and figgier at 46%abv. The tart limes remain, as does a little bit chile oil. Plenty of kiln smoke surrounds it.

Peat, salt and savory fill the massive finish. Bits of lime zest, mint leaf and basil leaf add color. Once the whisky is dropped to 46%abv, the finish gets sweeter, simpler and friendlier.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

This whisky stole my heart. Even leaving aside the personal connections, I adore this colossal style that could easily take on the southern Islay trio. Yeah there are sherry casks involved, but they cannot keep up with the powerful spirit. Please Bowmore, lie to me and tell me you have not been drowning casks like this in the 15yo "Darkest" for the past decade and a half.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???
Rating - 91

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Bowmore 18 year old Manzanilla Cask, The Vintner's Trilogy

(Bowmore cluster homepage)

Bowmore's The Vintner's Trilogy was an interesting secondary maturation experiment that started before the single malt market got hot. All three whiskies spent their first 13 years (why 13?) in bourbon barrels before getting re-casked into grapey vessels. The 27 year old, released in 2018, spent 14 years in port casks, and I sincerely hope no '80s distillate made its way into that parcel. The 26 year old, released in 2017, may have been distilled around the same time as the 27, and had a second 13 year experience in French wine barriques. The baby of the bunch was today's 18 year old, which spent five years in Manzanilla casks.

More things:

1. I don't know its actual distillation vintage, but basic math tells me 1999-ish.
2. This is the only one of the trio I wanted to try.
3. This is the only one of the trio I was able to source.

Distillery: Bowmore
Owner: Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
Age: at least 18 years
Bottled: 2017
Maturation: 13 years in bourbon barrels + 5 years in Manzanilla casks
Outturn: ?????
Alcohol by Volume: 52.5%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose begins well, with pistachios, walnuts and green plums up front, brown sugar and dried apricots in the back. Maybe some anise-loaded digestif as well. It reads more metallic than smoky. Once the whisky is reduced to 46%abv, the brown sugar and fruit move forward, while the nuts back off a smidge. Still, not much peat to be found.

The palate reads much sweeter than Manzanilla. Candied pecans, mint candy and ginger beer start things off. A light, dusty smoke appears next, followed by hints of toffee and toasted oak. At 46%abv, it's all almond brittle, lemons and vanilla bean.

It finishes with lemon and ginger sodas, toasted oak, woodier smoke and marzipan. When diluted to 46%abv, it matches the reduced palate with a hint of ash at the tail.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Two things were immediately apparent with this Bowmore. Firstly, it was a very easy (though simple) drinker. Secondly, it may be the least peaty Bowmore I've ever tried. The palate was a bit too sweet for my lips, which is weird because Manzanilla ain't no sweetie. Perhaps the casks were heavily charred? The nose was much more interesting and complex, and left me wishing that palate had matched it better. I have a feeling those casks buried some of this whisky's character, including its Islay heart.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - $127.99 back in 2017
Rating - 84