Bowmore Darkest 15 Year

Nose: sweet, dates, raisins, orange, chocolate, vanilla extract Taste: light smoke and peat, orange zest,

Found this almost undrinkable, I enjoy peated single malts but this was horrible in my opinion

향 : 짙고 뿌연 스모키 x 2, 계속 맡게되는 중독성, 안개뒤로 숨어있는 옅은달콤함이 궁금함 맛 : 부들부들, 물같은 느낌, 살짝 열대과일이 스쳐지나감, 버번도 쉐리도 아닌 그 어딘가, 약간의 몰티함, 타바코스러움, 입안에서 많이 굴려도 부드러움 피니쉬 : 태운 장작의 스모키함이 오래 남음

When i had the Bowmore 12, i was dissapointed. Everybody talks about how good Bowmore is, but 12 yo didn't live up to that expectation for me. I have now tried the 15yo Darkest and i have the feeling that it is better than the 12yo but lacks of some things to make it a great whisky. Bottled at 43%abv it has a beautiful mahogany color. On the nose is Spectacular. Its aroma is one of the best i have perceived in a dram. Perfumed Peat, almonds, prunes and toffee in a beautiful way. I got excited about it and then when i tasted it, it brought me down. starts like water, to change into a nice Tobacco Flavor, then gets hot but not too much, a little bit oaky and malty. Light bodied, finish is medium with not much flavor on it. (nevertheless i just added 0.6 points to the score because i just felt more chewable tobacco while writting this, 5 minutes after i drank the whole thing). Nothing special here, no peat on the palate, it just doesn't feel that much "Islay". I pour 2 drops of water on it. Other things appeared but not to change the score. On the nose: chocolate and some spices. On the palate: Ginger, bitter chocolate, caramel and more tobacco. Now i have had 2 bowmore, not impressing me at all so far. The hype is not real, at least not yet. I have the 18 yo waiting, hope to find something better there. 76 over a 100; 3.75 if you prefer that score.

Another delayed review that’s been sitting in my draft folder for a while. Since we’re all social-distancing and self-quarantining [no thanks to COVID-19], what better time to revisit and “dust off” some of my drafts for the Distiller community. THE BACKDROP: Late August 2019 at JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa for a conference. Initially planned to extend my stay to max out a company-funded trip. My gf was flying in to meet up and explore Miami with me. All was good with the world. THEN...hurricane Dorian decided to crash the party. The ever-changing forecast at the time was that Dorian will hit Miami in 2 days. People were scrambling for the airports or to get out of town quicker than you could say prestidigitation (whatever the fuck that means). To stay or not to stay? That is…was, the question. So, there I am on a windy Miami night, with a group of “brave” guys...& girls, trying to decide whether to call it and head home next day before the storm hits, while simultaneously trying to squeeze out some fun in anticipation of hurricane to come. It was clearly a time to try some good whiskey to calm the nerves. Enter Bowmore 15Yr The Darkest & JW Blue label (review coming soon). Not particularly super upper echelon drams but since I hadn’t tried neither before, they would do the trick (or so I hoped). The price per pour at the resort was ridiculous enough that I’m choosing not to remember it and not get upset. Sucks to be part of a captive audience with limited choices. Nonetheless, I’ll just say hurricane Dorian was NOT the only thing robbing us of our good spirits that evening (no pun intended). But...since it’s considered company “perks” [Read: Not coming out of my pocket], I’m not complaining too much...nuff said. Moving on. NOSE: The nose is alluring. An aromatic orchestra of fruit, smoke and chocolaty caramel. I get cherries, buttered caramel and light sweet smoke, all playing their parts so well together. A little touch of brine at the tail end but not in your face aggressive like Talisker or Springbank. PALATE: Taste doesn’t disappoint, mimicking the nose closely. Juicy fruit dipped in smoked liqueur. The smoke gently wafts in and out as if to tell you it’s also invited to party but wants to remain a stranger. FINISH: Long and a bit dry. Smoke stays with you, cascading down your throat in a warming embrace. CONCLUSH: Overall, a decently balanced and integrated dram, nose to tail (not another pun). I enjoyed this one. Solid 3.5 - 3.75 ⭐️. Try, own or pass? Definitely try! I personally won’t be adding this to my collection because there are other similar styles with better VFM out there…AND...my whiskey-collection sieve is getting more and more selective as the world spins. Pass only if you don’t like the good things in life. Cheers my friends!