Bowmore 32y 1968 ‘Anniversary edition’ (45,5%, OB 2001, 1860 btl.)

Nose: very aromatic and an avalanche of fruits. You name it, it’s there. At first: delicious cavaillon (orange melon) and tangerine, but these notes fade rather quickly. Then grapefruit and apple. Excellent vanilla pudding. Back to the tropical fruit. More candy-like now: mango and passion fruit sweets. Pineapple too, again with a hint of vanilla and a bit of mint. This is like an exquisite ice cream with fresh tropical fruits. Strangely enough, hardly any Islay notes. Well, there’s something slightly maritime and smokey, but it’s hard to notice and gone before you know it. Absolutely wonderful.

Mouth: very big with the same fruits: passion fruit, grapefruit and tangerine. Some pear and lemon. A bit of peat now and more noticeable smoke, but still far from the current Islay style. A faint hint of coffee. Good balance between sweet and bitter fruit notes. Slightly peppered as well, but overall refined. Finish: beautiful. The tangerine and passion fruit fade slowly. In the end only the bitter grapefruit notes remain.

Wow, incredible whisky and the best fruit juice I’ve ever had! The most expensive fruit juice as well: the value of this bottle is around € 500. Not for Islay fans though, because it doesn’t have the Bowmore profile we are used to from recent bottlings.

Score: 94/100.

Bowmore 25y 1983
(50%, DL OMC 2008, ref. 4189, 259 btl.)

Nose: relatively sweet, lemony. Oranges. Peaty for a Bowmore, with maritime notes. Ouch, after that it starts to become perfumy as well (lavender). Mouth: Sunlight soap. Violet candy, strawberry and strong peat. Slighty peppered. Finish: eau de cologne and grapefruit, getting quite dry. More perfume in the aftertaste.

Last year at the festivals of Liège and Gent, Douglas Laing brought us a few stunning malts, such as the OMC Banff 36y 1971. This year, their range was a bit of a disappointment. This Bowmore is a perfect example. So not worth € 150 in my opninion. I’m sure they have better stuff lying around.

Score: 69/100.

Bowmore 21 yo 1989 (48,1%,
Nectar of the Daily Drams 2011)

Nose: clean, with peat, seaweed and wet wool. Quite maritime. A little sharp in my opinion and a bit too narrow. Some grassy notes, brine, pepper and mint. A faint vanilla note but very much in the background. Water makes it slightly fragrant (luckily not too flowery though). Mouth: rather dry, very peaty, eartht, with secondary grassy notes and a little lemon. Again a faint vanilla note. Pleasantly salty. Faint hints of Schweppes tonic. Finish: medium long, in line with the palate.

This is not the horrible kind of early 1980’s Bowmore, but I don’t think it’s as good as many 1990’s vintages either. A lukewarm expression in my opinion, very focused but lacking some roundness in addition to the peat and brine. Around € 110.

Score: 82/100

Bowmore 21 yo 1989 (51,2%, QV.ID / Whiskysite.nl 2011, bourbon hogshead, 233 btl.)

Nose: quite some sea air, seaweed and hints of iodine. Ashes. Wet wool. Lemon. Bold and coastal but nicely softened by almond paste, vanilla and hazelnut butter. Soft hints of mashed potatoes. Develops sweet moccha over time. Entertaining and balanced. Mouth: even bolder now, with plenty of peat and smoke, with a sharp grassiness and brine. Pepper. Lemon. Very clean. It’s not very dry but it misses some roundness compared to the nose. Hints of apple maybe? Fades on slightly bitter notes (tonic). Finish: long, with smoke, lots of salty liquorice and some lemon zest.

A very clean Bowmore, with the balanced nose as its best feature. Better than the recent Bowmore 1989 by Daily Dram and almost 20% cheaper as well. Around € 95.

Score: 88/100

Bowmore 17 yo 1993 (53,7%, Thosop 2010, bourbon cask 477, 198 btl.)

Nose: a little less dry. If you wait half an hour, it maintains the highest level of fresh fruity notes. Some gooseberries and oranges. A little kiwi. This also means it comes out as the least powerful / peaty of the pack and maybe the least typically young Bowmore. Nicely fruity. Mouth: sweet and mouth-coating. It suddenly displays a wave of medium peat but it stays very sugary and fruity. Evolves on berries again. Certainly less coastal / salty / herbal than both the Whisky Agency versions. The gentleman among the 1993’s
I would say. Finish: softer and rounder with a hint of peat smoke.

If you want the round, sweet Islay Bowmore among the 1993 versions, pick this one. Just remember it needs some time to open up in the glass. If you want a more assertive version (for slightly less money), go for a Whisky Agency release. Around € 110. Sold out.

Score: 90/100

You already know the story: Bowmore filled very few casks in 1993 and there’s nothing left in the distillery warehouses. There should be a couple of casks available from independent bottlers (check earlier bottlings from Whisky Agency, Thosop and Whisky-Fässle), but this is truly rare.

This release won a silver medal at the recent Malt Maniacs Awards 2011.

Bowmore 18 yo 1993 (61,6%, The Whisky Exchange ‘Masterpieces’ 2011, American oak hogshead, 195 btl.)

Nose: quite bold with smoke, peat and a little tar. Brine. Slightly sharp, but it’s great to see the rounder, fruity notes come straight out as well. Starts on banana and sugared grapefruit, and evolves on gooseberries, guava and tangerine. A little vanilla. This is a unique feature of these 1993’s: a lot of Islay power (more than other Bowmore) combined with tropical fruits, alternating constantly. Impressive. Mouth: very peaty and extremely salty which evolves on zesty citrus flavours and herbs. There’s a sweet wave underneath, a kind of generic sweetness without clear-cut fruit profiles. Maybe a little too strong to drink undiluted. With water it’s sweeter (apple, juicy grapefruit) without loosing the liquorice, seawater and peppery kick. Finish: long and citrusy. Salt and tobacco notes.

Complex stuff, just like the other 1993’s. Water is necessary though. Good selection and one of my whisky style icons of 2011. Around € 140 which makes it an expensive 1993. Used to be sold out, yesterday new stock appeared, now sold out for good.

Score: 90/100

Bowmore 16 yo 1993 (59,9%, The Whisky Agency 2010, Perfect Dram IV, bourbon hogshead, 209 btl.)

Nose: gentle peat smoke with cedar wood (cigar box). Coffee with milk. A nice fruity side as well, mostly tangerine and lemon. Soft hints of vanilla. Seaweed. Hints of a wet dog. After a while, the fruit becomes more prominent and more tropical (passion fruit). Nice. Mouth: ashy and tarry with fruity hints of bittersweet grapefruit. Butter caramel. Citrus. Quite coastal with a big pinch of salt in the aftertaste. Finish: a rather uncommon combo of fruit and anchovies. Long, sweetish, bitterish and really salty.

This is an interesting Bowmore but it loses a couple of points for the salty aftertaste which I found to be a little bit out of proportion. The nose was absolutely delightful though. Around € 85.

Score: 89/100

We’ll be comparing three of these Bowmores, actually four of them as I also dug up a previously reviewed Bowmore 1993 Perfect Dram IV for comparison.

Bowmore 17 yo 1993 (54,6%, Whisky Agency 2010, Perfect Dram VII, 226 btl.)

Nose: dry and mineral with moderate peat. Only after 15 minutes, it gets sweeter, rounder and even slightly tropically fruity (which is a common thing for all four and part of the 1993 magic). The 59,9% version shows more vanilla (really nice) and warmer notes. It seems more fruity as well. This 54,6% version is slightly more subdued with a papery element. A tad more briney and austere as well I would say. Still quite similar. Both have a faint floral touch as well. Mouth: punchy with a nice balance between bold peat and fruit, this time slightly sharper / citric fruits (lemon zest, white grapefruit). Bittersweet, slightly leafy, and growing herbal and salty in the aftertaste, just like the other one. A little tarry. Finish: peaty with a pinch of salt. A bit more gentle than its predecessor and returning to its fruity side.

Although the differences are subtle, I prefer the 16yo at 59,9% for being more complex, warmer and fruitier at the same time. Both versions seem to have slightly less fruit and more herbal notes than the ones that are coming up. Around € 100 (sold out).

Score: 87/100

I’ve noticed The Whisky Agency also has a Bowmore 1993 in their
Private Stock series, which is usually reserved for exceptional drams. Could that be the ultimate 1993? Although I’ve never seen it in stores, it makes me curious… Has anyone tried it?

Bowmore 16 yo 1993
(53,5%, Whisky-Fässle 2010, 226 btl.)

Nose: a bit more smokey and a the same time a bit sweeter than the others. At least initially, because after some time they seem to converge. Still this one stands out: it shows nutty / mocha / chocolate notes that I didn’t find in any of the others. Hints of almond paste. While they’re nice, it seems to mask part of the fruitiness as well (fruits seem to come and go). The most sandy / coastal of the quartet as well, with nice hints of wet dogs and fishing nets. Mouth: holds the middle between the Thosop and Whisky Agency versions. Clean and punchy with both the lemony / zesty edge and some candied fruitiness. Medium peat. Again hints of almond paste. Not too herbal or salty. Finish: clean, half peaty, half coastal with a dash of lemon.

It’s great to find a mixture of the Whisky Agency’s power and the Thosop fruity elements. Again no peat bomb but a great all-rounder.

Score: 90/100

Sister casks #564, 565, 567, 568, 569, 571, 572, 573 (filled on the same day as this #570) have all been bottled in the Signatory Un-Chillfiltered Collection in 2010 and 2011, in twin cask releases. The cask for Belgium has been selected in 2 masterclasses hosted by Signatory’s Des McCagherty while he was in Belgium at the end of April 2011.

Bowmore 17 yo 1994 (48,8%, Signatory Vintage for The Nectar Belgium 2011, hogshead #570, 227 btl.)

Nose: clean and fresh but not very mature. There are coastal notes to be found (kippers, seashells), faint medicinal notes and pleasant  fruits (lemon, apple, some green banana). Hints of eucalyptus and very nice tobacco. Medium peat and a little wet wool. Quite gentle and not extremely expressive, but I like it a lot. Mouth: again not extremely powerful. Starts sweet, slightly rooty and herbal with pepper and peat. Lots of coastal notes. Smoked tea. Lemon candy. Also flowery hints and some carbolic soap (bummer). Finish: long, salty (liquorice) and peaty with the bitterness of lemon zest.

Around € 70 while several UCF releases are still available for around € 40.

Score: 82/100

When I first read about this Bowmore 1995 and the fact that it was matured in an ex-sherry cask, I was hoping for something close to the Bowmore 1995 by Single Malts of Scotland. The colour is very different though. As I mentioned before, half of this cask was bottled by The Nectar of the Daily Drams at a lower strength of 46%.

Bowmore 15 yo 1995 (54,1%,
The Whisky Agency – Anatomy series 2010, ex-sherry butt, 132 btl.)

Nose: despite the difference in colour, the first impressions of the nose are very similar to the SMOS bottling. Leather, big hints of kelp, pipe tobacco, walnuts… A couple of wet dogs. After a while it becomes clear that the TWA release has less emphasis on chocolate and dried fruits, yet more coastal / mineral notes and whiffs of fresher fruits (orange zest, lemon or yellow plums). The longer you let them breathe, the further they move away from each other. Overall the TWA nose is cleaner, albeit a little less expressive and less complex. But still very nice. Mouth: very punchy, with heavy earthy peat, some ginger and pepper and a faint honeyed edge. Hints of oranges and leather again. Almost none of the sherry / chocolate notes that we found in the SMOS version. Again: cleaner and simpler. Finish: less dry than its sister, with more oranges, peat and a hint of salt.

Well, this Bowmore 1995 has a slightly different profile than the SMOS bottling. There’s less sherry influence so the end result is a little cleaner and a little more straightforward. Still these 1995 casks all seem to be of high quality.
Around € 70.

Score: 88/100

This Single Malts of Scotland bottling is from a sherry butt which is not very common for Bowmore.

Bowmore 1995 13y
(56,4%, SMOS 2008, sherry butt n°419, 627 btl.)

At first, the nose is closed with only some dusty mineral notes. After a few minutes at hand temperature, it really opens up: pipe tobacco, nice liquorice and old leather books. Also coffee, Oaxaca chocolate (Mexican chocolate, lighter and spicier than the product we know in Europe), pepper and an array of coastal hints. Really complex, no need to taste this too soon! Fantastic balance. Although both components are present, this is not a young peat or smoke bomb on the nose, and it seems older than it actually is. Mouth: really impressive. Instant wave of sweet peat and smoke. After that, a wave of sherry with rich spices (cardamom, cloves, ginger, pepper again) and wet forest notes in the distance. Great how the sherry and the whisky keep fighting, with a nice draw in the end. Finish: slightly bitter notes, a bit salty as well. More chocolate and tobacco. Long aftertaste.

Impressive. Big whisky and magnificent value for money (at around € 60). Score: 91/100.

This Bowmore stayed in a refill hogshead for 9 years. The bottle only mentions the age, not the year of distillation. My purchase ticket did say 1997 however, so I guess the store had extra information or simply made a quick calculation.

Bowmore 9y 1997 (50%, DL OMC ‘The Cigar Malt’ 2007, 20cl)

Attractive nose: immediate sea associations (seaweed, fish oils) and quite vegetal and earthy. As the label says: “rather smoky”. The peat smoke is gently integrated with some sweeter (honeyed) and floral notes (but nothing like the floral / soapy notes that are common for 80’s Bowmores). Good! Mouth: creamy and full of youth. Peaty attack. Evolves on spicy pepper. Again some sweeter notes. Finish: the chocolate sweetness slowly turns into dryness and salt. Still some peat smoke. Medium length.

Overall a clean and confident malt. It confirms once more that Bowmore is producing good whisky lately, and that it doesn’t always need lengthy aging to have character. Around € 20 (20cl) – good value.

Score: 86/100.

Bowmore 9yo 1999
(57,1%, OB 2009, Feis Isle 2009, 900 btl.)

Nose: big influence of the grapes. Harbour stuff as well: seaweed, boat rope. Some smoke. Hints of prunes, espresso and orange skin. Rhubarb. Soft balsamic vinegar. Somewhat reminiscent of the Bowmore Dusk (Bordeaux finish – which I didn’t like) but this is much better. Stronger and more complex. After adding some water: more orange notes. Too bad the typical lavender / perfume smell also grows stronger when diluted. Mouth: really powerful, the alcohol is a tad too strong. With water: tobacco and leather, blueberries… I would have sworn this was older than 9 years. Some cinnamon. The oak and cedar wood appears towards the end. Finish: spices, oak, berries.

I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to taste a Bowmore with a wine finish, but the result is in fact really nice and different. The wine is not at all overpowering and the sherry notes help to lift this dram.

Score: 86/100

I’ve just picked up my own bottles of this 12 years old Bowmore 1999 bottled by Fulldram and drawn from an oloroso cask so I’m quite curious to find out how it tastes.

Bowmore 12 yo 1999 (57,6%, Fulldram 2011, oloroso sherry cask, 190 btl.)

Nose: immediately smoky (charcoal) and coastal (seaweed, tarry ropes). Not really a sherry bomb but it does open up nicely with sweeter notes of apples, yellow plums and apricots. Also a wave of yellow raisins and natural caramel. Water even brings out some hints of overripe mango. Some wet hay and chocolate. Strong but beautifully balanced and mouth-watering. Mouth: very powerful with lots of peat, more than we’ve come to expect from Bowmore recently. Strong liquorice / menthol notes (Fisherman’s friend). It takes a while before the hotness fades away and sweeter background notes come forward. Raisins again, hints of berries. Anise. Water makes it a little more rounded, but it stays bold and peaty. Finish: long and coastal, with liquorice and a lingering sweetness.

A good Bowmore which combines powerful Islay flavours with sweeter aromas. I would have liked a tad more roundness on the palate – it’s very peaty so I think it could resist a little more sherry, but given the price (€ 60 for members) it offers very good value for money. If you’re not in the Fulldram whisky club, your best shot at getting it would be QV.ID.

Score: 87/100

Bowmore 10 yo 2000
(52%, Kintra 2010, cask SC003, 60 btl.)

Nose: clean and youngish, pleasantly fruity with some apple and unripe citrus notes. Light vanilla. Reminds me of Kilchoman in a way, but a lot more gentle. After some breathing, it develops light peat and oysters. A hint of charcoal. Even though Bowmore is never heavy, this is really subtle. Mouth: firm and definitely more Islay-esque now, with peat, ashes and clear coastal notes. Good strength. Oysters and kippers. still some refreshing lemon. Hints of salty liquorice. Finish: medium length and quickly drying.

This is obviously faultless whisky, though maybe not at its optimum age yet. In a direct comparison with the Bowmore 2000 by Malts of Scotland, the Kintra comes out nicely clean and citric, while the MoS is more bourbonny and seductive. Both are very pleasant but relatively simple. Around € 45.

Score: 82/100

Bowmore 9 yo 2001 (46%, The Nectar of the Daily Drams for Germany 2010, bourbon cask)

Nose: Oily and mildly peaty, with charcoal rather than actual smoke. Clear sea-breeze notes. Quite malty as well, with notes of hay and fresh barley. Hints of carbolic soap (nice and harmless). A faint buttery note. Overall quite dry, no particular sweetness to be noted. Mouth: creamy with a peppery kick and some salt. More pronounced peat now. Oily and slightly grassy development. Cold ashes and clean lemon. Finish: medium length, briny with lemon and pepper.

A clean and simple Bowmore, getting close to Coal Ila with its faultless medium peated style. Around € 50.

Score: 84/100

25 years old means it was distilled in the first half of the 1980’s. Oh-oh

Bowmore 25 yo
(53,1%, OB 2010, Feis Ile, 100 btl.)

Nose: very maritime with notes of sea breeze and wet hay. Quite some iodine as well. Mild peat smoke. This is backed by some sherry influence (dried fruits) and mint. A very promising nose. Mouth: well there you have it. Soap, and quite a lot of it! Violet candy. Geraniums. A typical 1980’s Bowmore profile that we’re not too fond of. Quite peppery as well and few citrus notes. Finish: still very candied and soapy, with a salty edge and citrus.

Yet another typical 1980′s Bowmore although on the nose it’s masked almost completely. Originally around € 400, now being sold for € 600-700. Not worth it from a quality point of view, but interesting as a collectors item.

Score: 72/100

When I see the combination of Bowmore and 1980’s, an alarm goes off inside my head. You can expect all sorts of things from that period, with lavender soap and eau de cologne probably being the worst. Have a look at this Bowmore 1983/2008 by Douglas Laing if you don’t know what I’m talking about. On the other hand, this 26 years old Bowmore was matured in a refill sherry hogshead, and I don’t think I’ve had many 1980’s vintages from that type of cask.

Bowmore 26 yo 1982
(53,4%, Master of Malt 2009, 195 btl.)

Nose: hmmm… what’s this? It’s not soapy Bowmore, but it’s not like their regular stuff either. Very candied, with some marshmallow and cherry fruit gums. Hey, I like this, although it’s still faintly floral and I wouldn’t possibly recognize this as a Bowmore. Soft vanilla / white chocolate underneath. With a drop of water it becomes very lightly peaty and quite grassy. Mouth: very sweet attack. Violet candy appears, balancing on the edge between fruity notes and hints of lavender. But it never crosses the line. Citrus. Some peat in the background, with whiffs of cinnamon. Finish: still quite candied, with vanilla and just a hint of peat.

Ever wondered how a Bowmore lollipop would taste like? Once you get over the prejudices, this is very enjoyable. And I never thought I would write that about a 1982 Bowmore. In any case unique. Around € 120.

Score: 85/100

In the meantime, let’s review another bottling from the first series, an 8 year-old Bowmore distilled in 2000 and matured in an ex-bourbon cask.

Bowmore 8yo 2000 (60,1%, Malts of Scotland 2009, cask #800267, 215 btl.)

Nose: maritime associations (iodine, seaweed) with quite a lot of soaked breakfast cereals. Walnuts, wet wool. Medium ashy / smokey. At the same time, there are some candied elements (apple, lemon). Traces of sweet coffee and marzipan. Mouth: quite a malty start with a pleasant mouth-feel and lots of citrus, developing on medium peat and phenols. Getting rather hot and spicy but overall clean. Finish: medium long, very very salty now. Lemon and ginger.

Recent Bowmores can be pretty mature at very young ages, and this one is a good example. Interesting saltiness as well. Around € 42.

Score: 84/100