Slainte-Mhath
Bowmore Darkest 15 Year
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
June 20, 2026 (edited June 23, 2026)
'Darkest' - that's what they called this Bowmore, packed full of artificial colorant. A bit of a mockery? The nose is earthy and slightly salty with bonfire ashes, rubber and unripe plums. Dates, cedarwood and some soapy notes shine through. On the palate, the thin arrival is slowly picking up steam with orange zest, licorice and savory peat smoke, and I'm getting pink grapefruit, resin and dark chocolate. Hints of marzipan, pineapple and caramel carry over into the sooty aftertaste. They did not completely butcher it, but this bottling could be so much better.
RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 83 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE
95.0
EUR
per
Bottle
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@DrRHCMadden Bowmore has the potential to be one of the greatest distilleries on Islay, but the presentation of their malts could hardly be any worse.
Bowmore do love that caramel colour….
Additional information: This Bowmore has long disppeared from the market, and was replaced by an even more sanitized bottling that I wouldn't touch with a barge pole. Thank godness we have the independent bottlers.