November 28, 2014

A bag of Bowmore part two

More Bowmore at lightish strengths from the sample library.

Bowmore 1990/2001 (46%, Caledonian Selection, decanter, cask #1055)

Another older bottling by a name we haven’t seen for ages. Do they still exist? Colour: white wine. Nose: oh, a silent one! Not much happening… Maybe sunflower oil, maybe a little soot, maybe some beach sand, maybe some wet clothes, maybe a little grass… Hello? Mouth: a little better. This is mildly smoky – but very salty – Bowmore. Sour notes of apple juice, cider, a sootiness, ashes, lemon juice… In fact, this is almost like quaffing brine or seawater. I’m missing the gherkins. Finish: medium length, extremely salty. Salt playing with your lips, that’s fun. But other than that, I wouldn’t say there’s much. Comments: one for lovers of very salty whiskies. Reminds me of those old stories about barrels rolled in the sea from puffers to the distillery or the other way round. But that was before 1990, wasn’t it! SGP:354 - 78 points.

Bowmore 21 yo 1989/2012 (46%, The Maltman)

We’re starting to approach the difficult years here, let’s be careful… Colour: straw. Nose: hurray from Hurray’s! No lavender, no geranium leaves, no chemical violets, rather a clean mild coastalness (!) We’re well in the style of the 1990s, with a lot of seawater and only a mild smoke. Some graphite oil as well, a little linseed oil, a few oysters… All fine. Mouth: big Bowmore! Salted almonds, lemon juice, litres of brine, but not a load of peat, once again. A little horseradish, a drop of soy sauce, then sweeter lemon drops and marmalade. A curious feeling of menthol as well, maybe a little dissonant in this context? Finish: quite long, all on salted and smoked lemon juice. We’ll really have to try that one day. Comments: I find this one very fine, it’s a very worthy representative for that mildly smoky style that lasted for, say five to six years. SGP:354 - 86 points.

Bowmore 15 yo 1996/2011 (46%, High Spirits' Colours Collection)

Let’s see what our Italian friends had found… Colour: white wine. Nose: amazing contrast after the late 1980s and early 1990s, this is a very fine example of a better-focused, oilier, bigger Bowmore. The smoke’s bigger, so are the touches of camphor, it’s probably a little less coastal, and certainly more mineral and earthier. Oh hell, it’s simply nicer. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a very coastal whisky. Mouth: wham, in your face! Sharp crystal-clean chiselled stony lemony salty smoky stuff. Half philosophical stuff for Jean-Claude Van Damme – well I guess he prefers cask strength. Finish: this is smoked pepper and salt, really. Just the aftertaste is a bit sour and kind of watery (vase water), loses steam. Just a bit. Comments: great clean Bowmore from the beginning of the ‘new great years’. Only the aftertaste was a wee bit so-so. SGP:367 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Bowmore I've tasted so far