Bowmore The Devil's Casks 10 Year

Classic sherried Bowmore Nose: Raisins, Figs, Raspberries, Pineapples, Sultanas, Prunes, Morello Cherries Palate: Smoke, Raspberries, Toffee, Salted Honey, Bananas, Beef, Raisins, Hazlenuts Finish: Raisins, Honey, Salted Caramel, Beef, Pork Ribs, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Christmas Cakes

This is an interesting beast. It’s a 10 yr fully matured in high quality sherry cask, at a robust 50+ ABV. It first came out around $100 from what I remember, but now you can probably only find it in secondary markets. And, from my understanding, out of the 3 releases, this first one was the best. W/o water, this taste like Lay’s BBQ chips. Pretty one dimensional, and lacking that Islay smoke + sherry that I love. But...add a few drops of water, and the flavors really dance. Now we’re talking Oaxacan Manchamantal ( a sauce made with smoky peppers, apples, pineapple and flame roasted onion, garlic, tomatoes ). Amazing how it transforms with water. I only had a 2cl sample, but if you do see a bottle of this still around, it’s a must buy at the original $100 price. Secondary market prices ...to each his/her own.

Starts with tinge of tobacco and dark chocolate notes leading to fresh and subtle earthy flavor having remnants of spices with long lasting but very lite smokiness that ends in spiced chocolaty flavor.

Peaty