Bowmore, 3 decades: 17yo Cooper’s Choice 1995/2013, Official 1965, 12yo Jewels of Scotland 1989
The slenderness of the spirit stills is a little surprising no?
So the order for this line up is a bit strange. That’s not unexpected because Bowmore is one distillery with a variety of styles through the decades, so the order is simply determined by the power on the nose.
Also some interesting releases from Bowmore recently – like an expensive NAS Devil’s cask III, and a mizunara finished whisky. I should try to get a sample of the latter. I have heard it was pretty good.
Bowmore 17 yo Cooper’s Choice 1995/2013 46%
Nose: Several things jump up at once. Best I can say is a handful of lime leaves, a handful of chalk. Throw that into a mortar. Board a puffer laden with peated malt and with a bit of a smoky engine problem. God the sea looks choppy. Someone split some diesel. As soon as you see Islay, start mashing that pestle. I love that lime leaf plus chalk note I seem to get in 90s Bowmore.
Palate: Mildly sweet, peat and smoke seem stronger here. Ah malt bins! Salted lime leaves now, real chalky kaolin solution side to it. Touches of unripe green stonefruit.
Finish: Long enough. touch of diesel, more smoke, trailing peat, acidic tang or unripe fruit.
What a difference 10 years makes. I find this 90s style of Bowmore the daily drinker kind of Islay. This is praise by the way!
Bowmore Official Bottling 1965 43%, mid-80s bottling
Nose: Fruity. Just so. Mango and passionfruit juice. Warm and delicious but not explosive. Candles or wax paper, or could that be the glass? Has something pliable in it. Some granite chips. Develops into an old tub of balm and dried eucalyptus leaf ‘oldness’.
Palate: More citrusy on the tongue, and fruity sweet aromas float about. It’s not powerful but more complex. Quickly gets on with thick oils like lipstick, quite some ground sand and something glassy. Slight antiseptic side too. Becomes saltier, and licorice root? Tad weak on the palate.
Finish: Long but not ‘obvious’, citrus aftertaste. More glass. Still fruity after a few minutes.
Beautiful old fruitiness and complexity. Though suffers from the low abv I think. Even then great development.
Bowmore 12yo Jewels of Scotland 1989 50%
Nose: Quite a lot of peat here. Big smoke and chunks of rock salt. Seaweed and an ashtray. The most overtly maritime of the three, but doesn’t move much from there. Touches of fennel and coriander.
Palate: Ok this will be straightforward. Brine, smoke, ash, peat, with a semi-sweet herby side, I keep getting coriander, or is it lime leaves again. Some menthol too. Very simple.
Finish: Medium long, smoke and smoked herbs – aniseed or fennel. Celery.
Simple straightforward answer to the question: What is a generic peaty whisky? Not that it’s bad, just rather plain.
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