Sometime back, I was rather unimpressed with Bowmore's offerings, though I probably had been tasting more from their travel retail series than any of their signature bottlings. The standard 12 made me want to give them a chance; a recent tasting of a rare-ish OB blew me away. I think I'll want to try more Bowmores from now on. What did I taste that changed my opinion so drastically?
This:
As usual, whenever I try such old bottlings, DW and his dad has something to do with it. Well, my sister married DW's brother, so this was at the banquet. There were other things as well: Glenfiddich 25, Chivas 25, Yamazaki 18, Hibiki 17, and this Bowmore. Of the lot, this was most impressive.
Bowmore 25 "Small Batch Release" (abv 43%)
Nose - Smoky, like smoking charcoal. Some sherry notes - dried cranberries and raisins, and a light dusting of cinnamon powder. A bit of toffee and dark chocolate as well.
Palate - Oomph. Lots of liquorice. Smoke and a subtle brooding peat influence. Goes well with the light leatheriness of the texture. Raisins, dark chocolate, and maybe a bit of a coffee bean. It is fairly smooth too, with some vanilla and oak. With a bit of time, the cocoa notes get bigger, and the raisins become less dry. This is really great stuff.
Finish - Smoky and oaky. A bit of cranberry and prunes, liquorice lingers a little too.
Overall - yummy. I love it when peat, smoke and sherry casks come together perfectly, and this is great.
No comments:
Post a Comment