Whisky of the (Previous) Year

I am about 427 years late, but here's some comments on the Whisky Exchange's Whisky of the Year 2018 - Bowmore 15 Darkest. Not sure if "Darkest" is honest marketing.

Bowmore 15 Darkest (43% abv)

Nose - Oysters and brine. Red wine, and probably due to recency, I'll say a Shiraz. Quite a bit of oak tannin, but there's also some sourdough bread. There's peat for sure, though that blends quite nicely with the oak and wine. Sherry comes across as prunes, the kind that comes in a tin (and gives my mom diarrhoea). Smoke, but

Palate - Sherry sweetness and dark chocolate. Not quite the darkest dark chocolate, but it's got that bitter cocoa edge. Vegetal and malty. The peat is pretty heavy, surprisingly. The alcohol stings a little, to my disappointment. There's a fairly hefty fruity layer too - prunes, dates, figs, and something that feels like...grapefruit, but maybe less sharp.

Finish - I like this! Fairly long and menthol notes are pretty strong, making it a good, refreshing swallow. Like having a mint, almost. Some bitterness, like an over-steeped kopi-o.

Overall - Really good bang for buck, which is exactly The Whisky Exchange's criteria for the "Whisky of the Year".