How to know what 50ml looks like (Bowmore 12)

Always helpful to know what 50ml looks like in the glass,
in case I ever need to stop myself from drinking too much.

Bowmore 12 (40% abv)

Colour - A nice gold. The box and bottle doesn't say how this is matured. Given the young age, and this not being sherried whisky, I guess that the colour is artificially added. Which isn't a great problem, but it's always nice to see a light, light colour for a whisky that should be of a lighter shade. Lagavulin 8's colour, for example, is beautiful.

Nose - Orange, gummy bears, smoke. Slightly salty, a bit of iodine, and seaweed. Burnt sugar. Something spicy...like...wasabi flavoured seaweed. This is fairly deep. And, not what I expected from a Bowmore, considering my previous experiences. I tried the travel retail exclusive "White Sands" at the airport, and that was 17 years. But I think this 12 actually has a deeper nose. Apart from what I wrote, there are undertones of some coconut and other spices. I'm impressed. Though one small flaw is that, I can still smell the alcohol sitting on top of the whisky after airing it for 10 minutes. That is forgivable, given that this is a newly opened sampling bottle, and it is, after all, still a young whisky. I'm getting some custard cream now, but it fades quickly into something phenolic. Jolly good development!

Palate - Time for the taste test! Slightly salty and bland on entry, but...wait for it...Ashes, but the ashes don't come to the fore; you kinda have to search for it, which is always a pleasant surprise when you do (except is that really a surprise when drinking an Islay?). Not sweet, but notes of burnt caramel hang around. Scratch that. The sweetness comes out later if you wait for it - honey and vanilla, approaching but not quite custard. That'll be some kind of cream then. Coconuts. This is creamier in taste (but not texture) than expected. Slowly getting fruitier - pineapples and...longan. Yes. Longan. Slightly smoky. A little spicy - probably from the wood. Texture-wise, you feel the alcohol a bit, but I would say that that is a welcomed addition in a whisky that's 40%. Perhaps it isn't as smooth as it could be, but I think the slight burn gives this a bit more body, which is much needed at the low abv. If you're young and sweet, having a little bit of a feisty-ness is very charming. Wait, are we still talking about whisky...? Or are there deep similarities...Never mind.

Finish - Big spices! Wasabi and nutmeg. A little peaty, but more smoke than peat, honestly. A little drying, and what feels like a slight bitter aftertaste. Is that the caramel colouring, or some sort of tannin? This finish is a little less impressive.

Overall - Ok, I wasn't expecting much to begin with, due to my general underwhelming experiences with Bowmore thus far. This 12 year old, however, has proven me wrong. Bowmore, when done right, can be good! Deep, rich, and showcasing all the characteristics of a smoky and rich Islay malt. I am very pleasantly surprised, and glad to be proven wrong. This was not even high-strength. Pretty deep for a young, and low abv dram. Not amazing (like the Springbank 12), but this is much better than I was expecting. Close to amazing, which is amazing. Duh. Bowmore earns itself a second chance in my books.

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And, yes, I'm back from Thailand. Did not buy the Lagavulin 12, even though I reserved it. Reasoned that, while it was good, a 12 year malt shouldn't be commanding prices upward of $200. Probably more a reflection of rarity rather than just quality. We shall not be beholden to the supply strategies of distillers, and instead, listen to our tongues and noses (rhymes with Guns 'N' Roses. Ok, not really. Sorry. But I did squeeze in three senses into that sentence).