50,3°
Distillery : Bowmore - Islay
Bourbon Hogshead and 1st Fill Port Pipe Finish
Independent Bottling
By Murray McDavid
Limited Edition
Single Malt
Bottled in 2024
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Peated around 25 ppm
A 23-year-old Bowmore is the kind of thing that enthusiasts seek out. But this one has been finished in a first-fill port pipe, and you could say that it's not really a finish, since it lasted 15 years, which means that the second maturation is almost twice as long as the first. Personally, I really appreciate aging in port casks, so I'm interested in this anyway. 876 bottles have been released for sale.
Let's Taste It :
The influence of port is a bit strong, with redcurrant candy, muscat grapes, pomegranate seeds, dragon fruit, candied cherries, cocoa powder. The peat is very light and enhances the woody notes, caramelized charcoal, pine resin, cooked mushrooms. Red fruit clafoutis, very slight salinity. On the palate, it is spicy, the peat is thicker, herbal, carrying clods of earth, black berries, dark chocolate, blueberry juice, raw ginger. Long and explosive finish, peat saturated with lignite, chocolate fondant, coffee muffin, soft toffee, salted butter caramel, a hint of minerality, quartz.
In Short,
It's quite successful, the port goes very well with the Bowmore profile, even if it loses some of its identity, which was to be expected. That said, I would have liked a little more fruit. Unfortunately, the price is far too high, Bowmore has become an overly expensive distillery, which is very regrettable.
Score : 89
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Anna Calvi - Love Won't Be Leaving
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