Wooooohooooo! We finally got to try one of the Bowmore hand filled bottlings! Thanks to the University of Edinburgh Water of Life Society and committee member Matthew! This bottle was served at the Peaty Tasting on May 12, 2016. So yeah this was a while ago which goes to show how far behind I am with my posts.
This was from batch #13 which was available in April of 2016. This was also the batch just before the Feis Ile 2016 batch. So news of this batch seems to have been eclipsed by the flurry that went with the Feis Ile release. However, this was no run of the mill bottling. Aged for 13 years in a first fill oloroso sherry butt, this whisky is dark and delicious. Unfortunately, I took a picture of the bottle after it had been drained but if you google some pictures of the bottling, you’ll see just how dark it was.
If you have been reading this blog for a while, then you may know that I have been tracking these bottlings and updating information about them in a post about all the hand filled editions. While the general release Bowmore expressions are nothing to scoff at, there is something very exciting about the single cask bottlings of Bowmore. I have found quite a few gems in this category from independent bottlers, so there was something of a mythical allure to the idea of trying an official single cask bottling. And I have been trying for a while to get my hands on some of this liquid. I had thought I would get a bottle when we went to Feis Ile this year but alas they sold out before we got to the distillery.
So without further ado, I shall divulge my thoughts on this one.
Distillery: Bowmore
Age: 13 Years Old (distilled on July 5th 2002, bottled on April 11th 2016. )
Cask: First Fill Oloroso Butt
ABV: 54%
Price: About £125 on auctions.
TheMadVatter
Nose
Musky musty old European oak and sherry. Moderately dry but with sticky sweetness oddly enough. A stinky fruitiness kind of like durian fruit.
Taste
Ohh that musk is right there at the front and overpowering but I like it. Rich sweet red fruits and woody with old wet oak. Pomander, dried oranges and cloves. Little bit of five spice.
Finish
Nice cigar and mellow sherry. Old wet lightly bitter oak.
Rating
8
Afterthoughts
Really overpowering whisky which could be too much for some but for me it’s a flavour packed party. Really in your face and reminds me of being at a poker table with cigar smoking men in a hot room. Strange but oddly alluring. This is a heavy whisky and worthy of a good introspective sipping session. Wish I could get more!
Adventures in Whisky Land 