Bowmore Laimrig 15 y.o. (2014)
54.1% abv
Score: 90/100
Oops. Just discovered that I’d somehow missed publishing this one. Thankfully I had saved a hefty sample from one of the bottles that got drained ’round here. Yes, bottles. This is a great malt for sharing and showing off the incredible strides Bowmore has made in recent years.
Longtime readers will know that in earlier years I had a bit of a ‘hit and miss’ (read: mostly miss) relationship with Bowmore. Too many floral notes. Happy to report, as I have before, that Bowmore seems to have sorted all that out and moved more into fruits than flowers. Their recent sherried expressions are absolutely top notch.
I should note before diving into tasting notes that Laimrig seems to be a little drier and richer in spice and chocolate now than earlier batches, which were all jams and macerated fruits. Don’t get me wrong, this is still a sweetie of a malt, but if you had a chance to try the earliest edition or two…wow. I wouldn’t call this slippage; just a slightly different cask composition. And the age statement remains, which we love.
I’ll be buying this indefinitely. Great malt from Islay’s oldest distillery.
Nose: Chocolate and deep dark caramel. Jammy, rich fruit notes. Smoke. Deep on the spice, nicely integrated though. Smoky grape juice. There’s something a little softer and creamier here than expected too. Some sort of candy. Chocolate cake.
Palate: Good. Really good. Not as great as earlier editions, but unquestionably top 5 for me in terms of 15 year olds. Arrives rather dry, but turns mouthwatering. Lots of smoke. Fisherman’s Friend cough drops. Rubber and earthy notes. Finishes on smoked apple skins.
Thoughts: Brilliant smoky and sweet collision. Bottled at a great age. One of my favorite affordable standard releases going.
– Images & Words: Curt
All Things Whisky 
I think I actually prefer the 54.1 version vs the 53.7 version I had a few years back. But really, both excellent malts at a bargain price. This newer one has a crazy noise on it and I often find myself just sitting and nosing it for a long while without actually drinking it. Of course, the finish on it is long and satisfying too. Top notch stuff.
I found the nose to be addictive as well, could not take a sip without nosing it for a few seconds.
I just tried this last night. I’m assuming it’s the same batch because it’s the same ABV. And looking at your photo, it doesn’t have the numbered bottles of previous versions.
Silly me, as it was just released in Ontario I thought it was a NEW release…
I wouldn’t be sure there’s no slippage. I did a head to head with the 54.4% batch and it seemed a little younger.
A little water and about 2 hours in the glass does wonders for this.
15 years…. at least the age statement is preserved. But a 20% hike in the price from the last time the LCBO sold it.
Fantastic stuff, so good I went out a grabbed a back up bottle to bunker. Despite the jack up in price by the LCBO it still seems like a reasonable price for Ontario considering what else is available in Ontario in the same price range,
Luckily I have a relative in Nova Scotia who picks up multiple bottles of Scotch for me at reasonable prices compared to Ontario and the KGBO.