Bowmore Gold Reef

As I slowly begin to ease my way back into scotch after a bit of a break, I was sent a travel retail exclusive sample by my friend, Paul M from Detroit. This is a new NAS single malt from Bowmore. It's 43% and has some coloring added, all while being chill filtered. I have always been a bit of a Bowmore fanboy. I cut my teeth on their core level, smoky Islay malts. As I've become more experienced I've left them behind when it comes to peated whisky. The Ardbeg's, Laphroaig's and Lagavulin's offered on the island have captured my heart and I haven't really looked back. That's why I was so happy to land a sample I would never be able to acquire on my own and get properly reacquainted with Bowmore. On the nose, this one opens with a nice blast of Caribbean fruit- sweet and really pungent. The smoke is pretty integrated and really softens the edges, but at the same time I think it also robs it of what should be a lively and zesty initial impression. The palate compliments the nose- almost to a T. The oily tropical fruit rolls across the tongue and there's a great hit of salt to remind you this is a blend of malts aged lovingly at or below sea level. There's just enough smoke to completely hide the bitterness that should be present with juice that's definitely under 10 years of age. A little bit of heat builds slowly and follows into the medium length finish. This is where the youth finally shows up as it grows to a nice burn and leaves you ready for another sip. Overall, a very solid Bowmore malt. Age or no age statement this one was clearly well blended and sourced from some good stock. If the ABV was higher and it left you gasping a bit I think it would rank up there with some of the best stuff I've had from Bowmore. As it is, it's a strong 4.25-4.5. I'd love to have a full bottle lying around for every time I wanna stroll down memory lane and reconnect to my youthful days as a scotch fanatic. Thanks again, Paul. This is a winner IMO. Cheers.

One of the benefits of belonging to a whisky “club” is that each member usually has the means or fortune to obtain an item that the others cannot. That is such the case for me as Generously Paul, amongst his travels, was able to obtain and share this whisky with us. This would most likely be unobtainable for me as my traveling, when it occurs, is typically a National journey. This sample nosed most different than most whiskies I have come across. Vinyl or plastic synthetic aroma starts on the nose; quite unnatural. Once time has expired and diminished the “artificial” nose, waxy orange and cereal notes (think Cheerios) arrive. Dried straw, vanilla and a tinge of maritime notes of salt, brine and seaweed fill the bouquet. The palate is greeted with black pepper spice. Sour and bitter amongst the spice. The flavors can be found with much digging, roasted almonds amongst them. More time reveals and earthy and mineral and metallic notes touched, again, with a pinch of sea salt and vanilla (salted caramels). The finish is long and bitter of orange and lemon rinds. Drying wood tannins and, again, a touch of vanilla. This is a funky and unique whisky. A cross between earth and sea. A contemplative, mildly complex whisky that needs time and to be sipped slowly to truly enjoy. However, the flavors are somewhat bland or drab. Perhaps that reveals tired casks? It does not grab or wow. If the flavors were more vibrant, this may prove to be an inspiring whisky. However, sip it while reading a book (or Kindle) in a quiet moment to compliment the mood. [Dry glass: sawdust][85/100][Tasted: 6/27/17]

Another stop in round 2 of our Scottish distillery sampling, this one courtesy of Paul. I've never had a Bowmore, so was looking forward to this experience, especially considering this particular bottling is a travel exclusive ( still trying to figure out the business logic in that...is it to test out new products?). Anyway, keeping this short and simple---this is like biting into a Saltine cracker with a splash of orange. A solid 3, but can't beat the price --no brainer to pick it up if you're traveling (a liter though??! Why??!).

Stop number 17 on the SDT is Bowmore. This Islay single malt is a travel retail exclusive I picked up at the Windsor-Detroit tunnel duty free shop. It's a NAS that comes in at 43% ABV. Per the German "mit farbstoff" on the label it has colorant added making it a burnished gold. As far I know it is chill filtered. The tasting notes on the label claims the nose is "vanilla, coconut milk, delicious baked peaches, oranges and lemons." My initial reaction to the nose was "wow this is some funky stuff", and not in a good way. Damp boxes with old oranges in them was what I thought. I gave it some time and a quick taste and kept going. What I found was that the tasting notes were pretty much dead on. Toasted coconut really came through along with some vanilla. Very fruity, apricots and peaches. Citrusy orange and lemon peels. Bright and warm. There is some dusty oak coming through as well. The coconut gets more pronounced the longer it sits. Vegetal peat creeps in, but no smoke to speak of. Some sea salt as well. After sitting for a while some sherried fruits show up, raisins and dates, but they are faint at best. Tasting notes for the palate, "tangy peat, pineapple, juicy mango and kiwi fruit tempered by sea salt and olive oil" Like the nose, the initial taste was odd, but I kept at it. Other than the olive oil, the tasting notes again were dead on. Light vegetal peat, underripe mango, pineapple and kiwi. Some of the most intense tropical fruits I've ever had in a scotch. A little peppery that intensifies with time on your tongue. A touch of honey and oak. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is a little oily. Medium length finish with orange mango juice and some light peat. I really didn't know what to make of this at first. If I rated it on my first nosing and tasting it would have been a 3 or maybe even 2.75. That's why time and repeat nosings and tastings are key to getting to know a whisky. I really came to enjoy this one. It's loaded with tropical fruits and the light peat adds that little extra. Add in the fact that I paid somewhere between $40-45 USD for a 1L bottle and this makes it a solid 4. It's not overly complex and it's probably under 8 years old, but it's bright, zippy and fun to drink. Great for a hot day like today (87 degrees F in Detroit today). It would probably go really well in a fruity mixed drink. Cheers