I'm judging this based on price. I paid £20 against an rrp of around £32.
The 12 year old, especially on offer, is a decent everyday drop. The whisky is comforting and pleasant with that touch of smoke to keep the toper interested. I like it. Number 1 is the same but so much less.
The nose is benign. There is a bit of smoke and a nibble of vanilla. The taste is (top note) peat (mid note) vanilla and generic sweet. There is little from then on. The aftertaste revisits smoke and there's a nudge of youthful alcohol burn (it is NAS). Then... Well, it just ends.
A timid drink designed to be inoffensive and as such is a success. Most punters will enjoy it. Number 1 is a decent first foray into Islay. I would be disappointed had I paid the higher price.
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
@WhiskeyLonghorn Not sure about the bankruptcy part as here its around $90USD but the 18 year is the only standard offering I like. low abv but great dram..the others I really didn't like. Some special editions are great but very expensive
@RVM haven’t had the No 1 but for what it’s worth Bowmore says everything is at least 9 years old and this bottle is 100% first fill bourbon barrels so perhaps not egregiously out of balance for having more “assertive” casks, although this product seems to just be pulled from the line intended for their core age-stated products, so essentially it didn’t make the cut (while presumably still being better than what they produce for blending). For the price you paid I’d give this one a whirl... not a plethora of great blends even at that cost.
@WhiskeyLonghorn honestly I enjoyed the bottle of the 12 year I bought on sale in the low $40 range. Gently-peated, maybe they just ended up as the “little brother” Islay distillery that doesn’t do bombastic peat so they don’t have much street cred vs the competition. Admittedly won’t “wow” you with complexity but actually didn’t last long once opened, which is saying a lot since I have WAY too many open bottles (I know, you’re a 5 bottle convert!). It grew on me and wasn’t held back much by being 40%, just a tad thin. Usual $55 to $60 price for the 12 is too high for the quality in my eyes, but IMO it is much better than all but the select few diamonds in the rough for <$45 single malts.
Bowmore is one of those distilleries I still haven’t tried. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of great reviews out there, and they strike me as the Islay Dalmore. Anybody out there have a good Bowmore recommendation that won’t bankrupt me?
Good price to get it at, certainly a more realistic one for entry level Bowmore.