LeeEvolved
Bowmore 17 Year White Sands
Single Malt — Islay, Scotland
Reviewed
August 25, 2018 (edited January 29, 2019)
This is a non-USA, travel retail exclusive that I added to an international order to help justify shipping costs. This 17 year old was supposedly aged in ex-bourbon oak casks. It’s antique gold in the taster, with heavy droplets and thick legs.
The nose is lightly smoked and sulphuric- very reminiscent of a lot of Bowmore’s younger, core releases. There’s some toffee and cinnamon with some nice oak cask notes providing the backbone. The palate is malty, with caramel/toffee notes and a decent smoke wrapping things up. The finish is unfortunately short and malty with a surprising absence of barrel character.
Overall, the name White Sands had me expecting briny and ocean salt notes, but none of that appeared here at all. It’s just a semi-boring Bowmore that feels more like a money grab than a special release. It suffers from the biggest complaint I can muster with Bowmore- sulphuric flavors due to lower ABV. It seems like every high-proof offering I’ve had from these guys does a great job of adding character while hiding the sulphuric notes. This falls victim to the same issue for me. 3 stars and at $82 for a bottle- it’s a hard pass. Cheers, my friends.
82.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@deuce26 I still can't believe the 15 was named Whisky of the Year at TheWhiskyExchange! I actually bought it at one point based solely on that designation but then returned it after watching a few reviews. Sounds like the worst of both worlds haha
@LeeEvolved Devil's cask looks good but $215 online for an NAS from a distillery I'm not particularly excited about. Tempest seems right up my alley to start.
@LeeEvolved Devil's cask looks good but $215 online for an NAS from a distillery I'm not particularly excited about. Tempest seems right up my alley to start.
@Kyle-Brady I like the 12. I haven’t had the rare ones. I really love the 12. But, don’t make a mistake and get the 15 darkest, it’s awful.
@Kyle-Brady - I liked the Tempest. It was more focused towards salty and wind swept than sherried, though. The higher proof makes it stronger and less peated, however. With the Devil’s Cask you get the high heat with the sherry and peat.
think ill give the 10yr Tempest a try, for $77 on finedrams. Thanks again @LeeEvolved
@LeeEvolved wow thanks! Will check on those on finedrams and thewhiskyexchange.Meanwhile, Kilchoman is well-stocked at my LLS so I'll just have to bite the bullet and snag one of those one of these days too. Cheers and thanks for the awesomely thorough reply@
@Kyle-Brady - most of the better Bowmore tend to be cask strength or very well aged. If you can find a bottle of the NAS Devil’s Cask or 10yo Tempest/Dorus Mor I’d recommend those for around $100. If price is no object, I’d go after the 18yo Vintner’s Release or even the 23yo Port Finished. Both of those bottles are closer to or well over $200. Cheers.
I'm really trying to find a Bowmore to add to collection as I'm only missing 2 Islay distilleries yet (this and Kilchoman). Do you have a Bowmore worth getting? I've tried the 18 at a bar and it was fine but nothing special.
@PBMichiganWolverine - nice, enjoy!
@Rick_M ours is a 2 week road trip: Cotswolds, Bath, Lake District, London
@LeeEvolved - yes, the distillery is only a mile from the course, which we will play again today. The distillery gave a great tour and we were given a sample of their new make spirit. They start bottling their first 3yo shortly. A total class act. Their whisky will be non-peaty. It’s a 2 week golf trip.
@Rick_M- man, you’re still over there? It seems like you’ve been there going on a month! Were you able to try any Kingsbarns whisky? I’m assuming the golf course and distillery are near one another.
@LeeEvolved - played Kingsbarns yesterday. Best course I’ve ever played over here. Add it to your bucket list. :)