Bowmore 12 Year

Smoked peaches drizzled in honey.

Very pleasant on the nose! The Islay smoke is there, but is accompanied by a strong, sweet, bready aroma, almost reminiscent of a sherry-casked Ardbeg Uigeadail. Although Bowmore's reputation of being one of the least-smoky Islay's, I just keep wondering how perfect this whisky would be on the nose if there was just a bit more smoke. On the tongue, the first description that comes to mind is "sweet smoke". A lot of the first few seconds around the mouth is eerily similar to the nose, with a slight malt and mesquite BBQ undertones showing up here and there. Relatively low on the heat, true to its 40% ABV, and very minimum spice except on the roof of the mouth. Light-to-medium body, with a relatively lingering spice on the roof of the mouth, and ever so slight licorice on the tongue. This bottle shines through its straightforward simplicity. I cannot help but imagine how much of beast this would be at a higher proof

Fruity with a hint of apple and pear. Smoky as in embers of a barbecue. A bit of chocolate, too. A great whisky for the price! Soft and not too overwhelming.

Lemon, caramel, vanilla and peat nicely brought together. Lovely nose, but noticeably watery on the palate. If only the body could live up to the nose…