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.
Whiskyrific RSS
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- Clynelish 25 yo 1993 / 2019 Gordon & MacPhail 19/079 54.3% vs Chollet Lot 1960 bottled 2020 ‘#4 Le bon vivant’ Fin Bois Malternative 46.3%
- Macallan 8 yo FLLI Rinaldi 43% 75cl vs Macallan 18 yo 1973 / 1991 43%
- Caperdonich 1972 / 2011 Malts of Scotland #1144 57.4% vs Caperdonich 1972 / 2008 Gordon & MacPhail #1975 57%
- Glen Garioch 27 yo 1991 / 2018 Carn Mor #20392 51% vs Glen Garioch 21 yo 1965 Full Proof 50%
- Talisker 10 yo ‘map label’ 45.8% ~circa early 90s vs Talisker Gordon & MacPhail 100 proof ~ circa 80s bottling
- Laphroaig 1977 / 1995 43% vs Laphroaig 12 yo 1984 / 1996 Cadenhead 60.3%
- Highland Park 25 yo 1992 / 2017 Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting 59.8% vs Mortlach 30 yo 1989 / 2019 Douglas Laing #DL13722 52.4%
- Clynelish 21 yo 1989 / 2010 Whisky Agency 54% vs Clynelish 20 yo 1997 / 2017 Spirit Shop Selection #6932 56.5%
