I love a good Bowmore from time time, but most of the good releases come from independent bottlers, in my humble opinion. It’s not that I don’t like all the official releases but I like the style of the indie releases much better. That’s just my personal preference, I think.
This Whisky Agency release already got my attention rather quickly, as it is one of my favourite bottlers out there. Not always cheap, but at least it are often excellent releases. This one was bottled exclusively for the The Whisky Exchange, together with a 23 year old Irish whiskey. And according to the Whisky Exchange, both releases should be true fruit bombs. Sounds good to me!
This Bowmore has been matured in a butt for 19 years and is bottled at 48.8% ABV.
Bowmore 1998 tasting notes:
Nose: Initially I get a briny and coastal smell. Seashells, some minerals too. But then quickly the fruity notes pop up. Fresh, tropical ones like grapefruits and lychee. Then some lovely notes of pineapple and overripe bananas. A faint hint of smoke that emerges from a distance. Oh this is rather nice!
Taste: Briny, a hint of wet rope. Mineral and fruity notes again, like the grapefruits and pineapple. Again the overripe bananas. Smoke here as well, and some herbs in the background. Nice to see the coastal flavours work so well with the fruity aspects. Very enjoyable!
Finish: The finish is mid-long, which mainly tends towards the sweeter and fruity side.
It starts quite salty, mineral with a layer of fruit. But it changes more to a fruity whisky during the taste and finish. It’s very well-balanced and a great whisky. Now, I have seen references to the glory days of Bowmore but I don’t want to go that far (or should I?). 🙂 But it is definitely a good modern Bowmore without a lot of cask influence.
Awesome review! I’m glad I was able to pick up on of these. Could not agree with you more I enjoy a good bowmore but I lean toward more the independent bottlings as well.
Thanks Matthew! Think you will really love this one then! It’s good.