Tastes

Perfumed nose that smells like cherry gummies. Given the charred barrel nature I'm also assuming some brown sugar as well. The palate is sweet and sticky with plenty of rye spice character and banana. If there is any vanilla in there, its barely noticeable. Moderate length finish that leaves behind cherry licorice residue. Though I have a tree nut allergy, and don't have the pleasure of such flavors and textures, I get some nutty notes as well. Very pleasant stuff, and a nice change of pace from my usual glass of scotch.

[Revisiting] After a few weddings, company parties, and cheap nights out, I've come to better terms with Black Label. It's not so bad, and not so great, but boy does it get the mood rolling. It's light, partially smoky, sweet, fruity, and overall not too offensive.

Lovely nose, pleasant palate. Doesn't seek to impress, but enjoyable nonetheless. Better than Bulleit Rye!

I’ve had a few tastings of this, so I think I can confidently state my opinions. To be honest the most appealing aspect of this scotch is the darkish, reddish color of the liquid in the bottle. It is much richer in hue than the 2015 Cairdeas by far. On the nose I get fresh clean salt water, with a touch of orange scented perfume. The palate is where things start to get a little challenging. Without watering it down it is POWERFUL! There is an intense black pepper burn that settles down to allow hints of lemon and orange take the stage. As those flavors subside, there is a sensation of heavy bitter oakiness, and peat smoke. The finish is long, slow, peppery, and leaves behind medicinal charcoal notes. With a few drops of water the nose mellows out and brings forth more of that BBQ scent with a touch of marshmallow. The dram becomes sweeter and creamier, but still that damn charcoal. I would like to enjoy this more than I do, but I just can’t escape the feeling that I’m sucking on flavored charcoal. I had high expectations, but perhaps I will just grab another bottle of the 2015 instead if I can.

Dark amber color. It's appealing! The nose is crisp and fresh, smelling of briny sea salts, lemons, and a TOUCH of vanilla. Quite literally. It's barely there if at all. On the palate is an alcoholic burn of youthful spirit, and perhaps some charred oak influence...sometimes its hard to tell the two apart. I get that same green vegetable taste that I experienced with the 12 year old. You could tell me that this aged in sherry casks, and I would say that I barely noticed. Overall, a lack of distinct flavor. The same could be said for the finish: swift and flavorless. With a few drops of water, it reduces whatever charm this dram has to a basic blended scotch. I would suggest to not bother with this expression and just start with the 12 year old, or jump to the 15 year old, which has been my favorite Bowmore so far.

Spicy, alcoholic, rich and dry sweetness. Its a nice kick in the face and surprising from what I was expecting out of this. Over time it softens out into an oily vanilla taste, but I gotta say Im satisfied. A future purchase perhaps?

I'm thinking more of a 3.5 for this one, but I can't do that so it's getting a 4! The reason why I rate this higher is because I think its a really good entry into Islay for somebody who isn't a huge scotch/Islay drinker. You know how you have to work people up to the heavy smoky phenolic stuff? I think you can easily thrust some Bowmore 12 year into somebody's hand and they'll find it enjoyable. You're getting some classic peat smoke (not too much), zesty lemon, and sweet vanilla. The finish I find kinda strange and swift...burnt casks and charred vegetables? I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'll have to re-evaluate as my bottle depletes over time!

I must own this bottle for my own collection. Incredibly oily and full bodied with a huge Carmel presence. Straight out of the bottle it's spicy with some light fruit elements, but I don't find any sherry inflict within this. Over time it softens up but still retains quality. I would like to come back to this again, but the first impression is killer!