Two 17 yo 1998 Bowmore


March 31, 2017

Two 17 yo 1998 Bowmore

And why not? Remember the old official 17 has been very good at times… Well, not always… Anyway…

Bowmore 17 yo 1998/2015 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, refill hogshead, cask #DL11007, 333 bottles)

We’ve already tried quite a few very excellent late 1990s Bowies! Colour: straw. Nose: let’s keep this short, this is perfect. Mud, roots, seaweed, bandages, kippers, green olives, beach fire. Indeed, perfect. Mouth: really very perfect. Perhaps less crystal-clear than earlier vintages (say 1992-1995) but it’s immediately very satisfying. Seawater, lemon juice, olive oil, and smoked fish. Finish: long, zesty, clean, pure. Some smoked blend of lemon juice and olive oil. Nice waxy touches in the aftertaste, some green pepper too. Comments: anyone not liking this has got a problem. SGP:357 - 89 points.

Bowmore 17 yo 1998/2016 (57.4%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, refill barrel, #3.276, ‘Oysters in a thyme mignonette’, 114 bottles)

A refill barrel and an excellent vintage, seriously, what could go wrong? Now it seems that they’ve smoked the carpet again at the honourable SMWS before they tried to find a name for this… Colour: straw. Nose: ah, Bowmore’s tropical fruits now. Passion fruits, mangos, all that. It’s not that they’re as big as in the 1960s Bowmores, but they’re there. Other than that, you know the song, kippers, seaweed, kilny smells… With water: and blood oranges! Mouth (neat): indeed, it’s more tropical, and more citrusy than its bro. Smoked pink grapefruits? Bananas? Long story short, it’s a perfect, trans-era Bowmore. With water: very very very good, salty/smoky all-vitamin fruit juice. Finish: long, and particularly accurate. Yeah, whatever that means. Comments: one more point for the tropical fruits. Ain’t that fair? SGP:557 - 90 points.

(And gracias, Angus)

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

Pete McPeat and Jack Washback