I'm not as big a fan of Bowmore as I am of some of the other Islay distilleries. However, this 10-year old Bowmore is about as pure an expression of Islay as one is likely to find. This is an unfiltered, cask-strength, small-batch release that consists of only a handful of casks. There have been three such limited releases to date, although I'm not sure which one we tried. It's also found outside of the U.S. by a different name, Tempest. It smells like fresh-baked oatmeal cookies and dry woodsmoke, but its flavors are much richer and fruitier than expected, with bursts of sweet berries, rich mulled cider, and a dash of sea salt. That sea salt is what lingers on the tongue the longest. This bottle is overpriced at well over $100 in most liquor stores, especially when compared to the equally puissant and even more memorable Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength (usually around $70-80). Nonetheless, I'm glad I tried it; this is one of the best Bowmores that I've encountered.