It was a pleasant surprise when Bowmore released this expression in 2016. By the looks of it, a well sherried young Bowmore for a very very decent price. By today’s standards they are practically giving this stuff away, and the fact that they decided to keep the age statement despite it being younger than 10 years is really nice. It’s quite a contradiction to their Batch 3 Devil’s Cask release. Perhaps this was intentional. With so many whisky brands choosing to go with No Age Statement whiskies and pumping up the prices, this was a refreshing move on Bowmore’s part. Does it live up to expectations though?
Distillery: Bowmore
Age: 9 Years Old
Cask: Bourbon and Sherry (Predominantly Sherry)
ABV: 40%
Price: £24.95 at the Master of Malt
TheMadVatter
Nose
Chewy fig Newtons with that gummy fruit filling and that spongy biscuit wrapping. Gushers fruit candy. A dry ashy kind of smokiness like a burned out duraflame log. A synthetic fruitiness like grape soda. Slight sourness like apple cider vinegar.
Taste
Gentle caramel or toffee followed by bitter tart notes and a dry smokiness. Hint of spices like cardamom, bitter cinnamon, nutmeg. Hint of sugar plums. Bitter oak that bites. Some fruit flavoured candies towards the end.
Finish
A bitter astringent smokiness with synthetic fruit sweetness. Plastic sweetness.
Rating.
5
Afterthoughts
The nose is enticing although not too complex. It promises gushing fruit candies with a clean smoky backdrop. The taste didn’t quite carry through with a generic caramel sweetness leading and a bitter oak smokiness that wasn’t quite balanced. The finish lasts but doesn’t quite entice the way you might hope. Overall it’s got some bold characteristics but they don’t seem to be melding the way that I would like. For the price it’s nice but not sure what occasion this would be for. Not good for beginners and not quite enough offered for peat lovers but maybe a nice cheap peaty malt for the peat intrigued on a budget. I mean this stuff is cheap enough to just buy to try. I can imagine this being very useful for baking too! Probably going to get some comments on that.. Big fan of all the moves Bowmore have made with this one though so I am a happy camper.
Adventures in Whisky Land 