Bowmore 18yo
Islay Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£50
$85(USD)
Another week of Islay malts on the Malt Mission. Every whisky we'll be having will be old enough to vote in most countries and old enough to drink (itself) in others. And they'll all start with the letter 'B'.
Bowmore is the most visited distillery on Islay and has just relaunched(January 2007) their core range with minimal fanfare but much critical acclaim. The new 18yo won Double Gold and Best In Show at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2007. The new packaging is carefully designed to make the name "BOWMORE" more visible on shop or bar shelves and uses a colour scheme to identify each whisky: Legend(Grey), 12(Black), 15/Darkest(Maroon), 18(purple), and the sleek-looking 25yo (double black).
Former distillery engineer Harry Cockburn put in place a groundbreaking and often-copied heat exchange system in 1982 that provides hot air for part of the malting, heating the mashing water, the wash and the low wines, the reception area, and, famously, the Bowmore swimming pool next door.
All Bowmores tasted on the mission can be read HERE
TASTING NOTES:
Faint woodsmoke weaving through tropical fruit sweetness, nutty oiliness, and some earthy, decomposing aromas. Compost compote. Damp and October/November-ish.
Big, horizontally expansive in the mouth with dry sherry and oak with some very sweet wine-type flavours, scenting cleaning agents, peat and pastries. Balanced finish, but of an odd combination of flavours: A funky peat, Harrod's perfume rooms, charity shop/second hand bookstores, stinky feet and bitter tea.
SUMMARY:
Odd, but intriguing. While this isn't exactly my thing, I know other folks who would just love it. Stands as a unique expression among the range, and reminds me somewhat of the profile of the old 15 year old.
Malt Mission #130
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Malt Mission #135
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