For my seventh review, I will be showcasing the 3 whiskies that I tried during my tour at Bowmore as well as the new make spirit from the distillery. The whiskies are as follows:

1) Bowmore 15 Years Old Mariner (43% abv)

2) Bowmore 14 Years Old bourbon matured (from the cask, unknown abv)

3) Bowmore 17 Years Old sherry matured (from the cask, unknown abv)

4) Bowmore new make spirit (63.5% abv)

Bowmore 15 Years Old Mariner (43% abv)

Colour: Deep gold

Nose: Sea spray, slight iodine, cracked black pepper, gentle peat smoke, seat salt, just a hint of honeyed sweetness.

Palate: Spicy, restrained bourbon sweetness. Pronounced sea salt with a definite maritime presence. Seaweed, a hint of honey mingled with some citrus fruits. Oily mouthfeel with a mouth-coating element.

Finish: Long and lingering, with sea salt and black pepper resting on a bed of sweetness. Definitely sophisticated and my favourite whisky from the distillery!

Bowmore 14 Years Old bourbon matured (from the cask, unknown abv)

Colour: Pale gold

Nose: Sea salt caramel with hints of fudge and black pepper. Gentle smoke with an herbal tang.

Palate: The sea salt caramel carries through, mingling nicely with the smoke. Fudgy, chewy malt slowly gives way to a drying mouthfeel. Hints of citrus emerge with lemon lollies and seaweed.

Finish: Smooth, smoky and satisfying. Quite sophisticated for its age.

Bowmore 17 Years Old bourbon matured (from the cask, unknown abv)

Colour: Deep copper

Nose: Raisins, nutmeg, fruitcake and gentle peat smoke intermingled with a mouthfeel of sherried sweetness.

Palate: The sherried sweetness carries through and inundates the palate. Cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins and oak combine beautifully on the palate before subsiding slightly. Smoke emerges towards the end.

Finish: Sweet and smoky goodness. Somewhat reminiscent of Laphroaig’s Triple Wood. Definitely a crowd pleaser!

Bowmore new make spirit (63.5% abv)

Colour: Neutral

Nose: Grassy, green and spicy in equal measure. A pronounced lemon citrus note definitely present. The high abv is also apparent from the way it sneaks up into your nose.

Palate: Spicy and somewhat juicy, with the lemon citrus note becoming rather pronounced. Sears the palate and leaves it with a clean, almost medicinal mouthfeel. Very interesting character overall.

Finish: Spicy to the very end, with more lemon citrus and some grassy notes taking turns to overwhelm the palate. Long and lingering.

Slainte!

Brendan

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