Bowmore Laimrig (Batch 3)

53.7% abv

Score:  91/100

Each time I sit down with a glass ( or two) of this malt I feel like I’m making a big mistake.  Like I should maybe be putting away a few extra bottles for that proverbial rainy day.  I think we’re all familiar with the old parable about the grasshopper and the ant, right?

With the current state of the whisky world being what it is (soaring costs, dipping ages and a steady veering towards no age statement malts) I fear it really is only a matter of time until the ’15’ disappears from the label of this expression.  Or further, that the Laimrig disappears altogether.  Let’s hope I’m wrong on that one, but I think either way it’s time to shelve a few bottles for future days.

Laimrig is a revelation.  A sub $100 release that simply outperforms anything comparable on the market.  Its appeal (at least for me) lies in the intricacies of the marriage of sweet and smoke, and how beautifully it manages to integrate these pieces into such a harmonious whole.  The three main factors at play here are peat + sherry + age.  The smokiness though, for any who may be concerned they may not be peat-conditioned enough for this one, is restrained enough to sit behind the syrupy fruit notes, creating a very broadly appealing dram.  I’ve yet to pour one for someone and have them not like it.  And finally… probably the single greatest asset working in favour of Laimrig is a return to a fruitier style of Bowmore.  This profile is far preferable to the more floral Bowmore we’ve been privy to for the past several years.  Absolutely a move in the right direction for this distillery.

Undoubtedly my favorite  under-20 y.o. whisky out there.

Nose:  Grape juice.  Smoke.  Deep jammy notes and berry coulis.  Well-oiled leather.  Sea spray.  A touch of grapefruit.  Ash and iodine.  Devil’s food cake and cherry pie filling.  Apples and apple skins.  A little bit of rubber.  A savoury, slightly meaty note.

Palate:  Deep, deep threads of smoked dark tree fruits.  Lush and juicy.  Smoky and hinting at a Fisherman’s Friend kind of medicinal edge.  Plum sauce and some dark gooey Asian sauces (hoisin?).  Apple skins and soggy wood.  Oil.  Viscous and rich.

Thoughts:  I adore this whisky.  Slightly different than previous ones I’ve tried, but equally awesome.  A little more on woods and less on fruits, I think, if I had to put my finger on it.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bowmore Tempest (Batch 3)

55.6% abv

Score:  84.5/100

Having now shared a few words on the first edition of Tempest, let’s contrast a little against a more recent version.  This is Batch 3.  Currently, a rebranded Batch 4 is sitting on the shelves here in Alberta.  I’ve yet to try that most recent incarnation, but will hopefully get to it soon. 

Bowmore has been doing a lot of things right in recent years.  Some neat one-offs and some new editions to the range have been welcome additions.  While I can’t necessarily get behind some of the younger NAS releases, such as Surf and Legend, I can say that the distillery is winning me back one bottle at a time.  For a while there I was a little disillusioned. 

Seeing as I spilled most of the beans in the previous review (linked above), I imagine I can be a little less wordy here, and simply dive in.  Tempest Batch 3 is still a fierce dram, of course.  Big and flavourful, rich and full of character.  While it may not tick all the boxes the first batch did, I do still like it enough to buy and drink.  This time ’round though, I believe you need to be a little more of a died-in-the-wool peathead to immediately cotton to this one.  Batch 1 had a rounded sweetness that likely would have worked to broaden the appeal.  Here you have a slightly sharper and more prickly Islay malt at a hefty abv.  Highly possible that this one is not for the faint of heart.  The peat and smoke are loud and obnoxious.  That’s right up my alley, personally, but may make for a narrower target market.

While Batch 1 was an ‘old soul’ of a 10 year old, this a youthful 10.  So be it.   If you chance upon the different batches on the shelves anywhere though…I would highly recommend grabbing  the first edition over the later ones.  Just my two cents. 

Nose:  A lot of chocolate.  Some hay and herbal notes.  Dusty barn.  Smoke.  Lemon.  Fish and brine.  Some caramel pudding.  Salt and pepper.  Sea water.  Maybe just a touch floral.

Palate:  Big, sharp attack.  Fishy notes and burning barley.  Chocolate and licorice.  Very ‘naked’.  Ashy.  Does somewhat bitter out a bit unfortunately.  Lacks the balanced creaminess that made the first such a charmer.

Thoughts:  A fairly one-dimensional malt that doesn’t hold a candle to the first batch.  Having said that…it’s still a very fine dram.  Expect something along the lines of Caol Ila or very young Port Ellen in terms of mouth attack.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bowmore Tempest (Batch 1)

56.3% abv

Score:  89/100

I think this was released in 2009 or 2010 (forgive my lack of research).  Does that make me fashionably late?  Or maybe just the slacker who slept in, and now shows up all disheveled and interruptive?

While I concede that I’m not certain of the exact year this was released, I do recall my excitement upon hearing there was to a young, entry level cask strength Bowmore on the shelves.  Of course, like everything else, it would have hit Canadian shores much later than other markets, effectively rendering the release date moot anyway.  Either way…a few words on the first batch of Bowmore Tempest:

With all of the shitty, negative trending going on right now with NAS (No Age Statement) bottlings, there is one trend that I can absolutely get behind.  That of more and more distilleries releasing cask strength malts into their core ranges.  Over the past few years we’ve been lucky enough to see the likes of Glenfiddich Distillery Edition, Glenlivet Nadurra, Auchentoshan Valinch, GlenDronach Cask Strength, nearly every Ardbeg, etc.  Of course, there are also the familiar faces such as Aberlour a’bunadh, Glenfarclas 105 (not CS, but BIG nevertheless), Laphroaig CS, Lagavulin 12, the Port Charlotte PC series, etc.  Good times for flavour junkies. 

At one time Bowmore used to have a cask strength release as well, but that’s a malt I haven’t seen in years, aside from a dram from an old bottle on Islay a couple years back.  Fortunately, however, they’ve now opted to give us the goods as we want ’em: big, bold and relatively unadulterated.  Namely, this 10 year old Tempest and the 15 year old Laimrig.  These whiskies…man…if I had my way these profiles would be the future of the distillery. 

Bowmore has worn many masks over the years.  It’s sort of like the Gary Oldman of Islay malts.  Highly malleable…infinitely chameleonic.  Usually interesting enough to win you over.  The true Bowmore profile is sorta hard to pin down, to be honest, but in the Tempest and Laimrig, Bowmore have really managed to knock it out of the park, and bring back a familiar style that has seemingly been supplanted by a more floral elegance in recent years.  Laimrig carries the sherried heft of smoked Bowmore with flair and a depth of jammy-ness that is a return to an older, more fruity style.  Tempest, on the other hand, brings a more naked (primarily bourbon cask matured, I would assume).  I’m a fan of both, but the Laimrig, in particular, is a showstopper.

As for the Tempest itself…

We’re looking at Batch 1 here.  It’s a deep whisky, balanced and hiding a surprising maturity (beyond 10 years, I’d say).  Subsequent batches are substantially different unfortunately.  Not bad, by any means, but not the same, and definitely not quite as good.  If only this particular dram were replicable and consistent in this incarnation (which it has obviously proven not to be), Tempest would be a rather perfect young whisky.   

Nose:  Smoke and peat, o’course.  Chocolate.  Coffee.  Cracked pepper.  Orange and Lemon.  Some notes that aren’t far off from an Ardbeg.  Caramel and pear.  Some unexpected creaminess.  Baked Alaska. 

Palate:  Sweet candy arrival, through smoke and into licorice.  A lot of fresh squeezed citrus and more cracked pepper.  Either very active bourbon casks leveeing these spicy notes, or a bit of sherry influence.  Either way…crackling with nifty ‘Pop Rock’ surprises.  There’s an earthiness here that hints at Garden Burgers, interestingly enough.

Thoughts:  Hmmm…much like many first editions of named releases, I have a sneaking suspician this was a ‘best foot forward malt’.  (Read: there are some older, better casks in here than we’ll see in future editions.)  Great balance.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bowmore Maltmen’s Selection

54.6% abv

Score:  91.5/100

I love personality in my whisky.  I’ll even forgive a wee flaw or two in a dram, so long as the whisky has enough ‘quirk’ to it to make me sit back in relection and contemplate its uniqueness.  Not that I’m suggesting this Bowmore Maltmen’s Selection is a flawed malt in any way.  Quite the contrary actually.  It is, however, completely unrecognizable as a Bowmore.  Or any Bowmore I’ve ever tried anyway.

I find that consistency of profile in Bowmore through the years is as elusive as a full set of teeth in a hillbilly hoedown.  Not saying this is a bad thing; just noting that I personally would be hard-pressed to tell you what the distillery’s main profile really is.  We’ve seen deep tropical notes, heavy florals, smoky bacon n’ chocolate chips, briny meaty ones and much more.  All interesting in their own right, and all from different eras.  Fun stuff, but what really is Bowmore then?

Well…we certainly won’t answer that question here.  Bowmore Maltmen’s Selection is a humdinger and a headscratcher of a dram.

I first tried this one in late 2012 at the Bowmore distillery on Islay.  I recall not being overly wowed by it.  It was tasted alongside the Springtide, 25 year old and one or two others though.  And, to be fair, this little tasting session followed hard on the heels of a great tour which had culminated in sipping drams pulled straight from the casks in Bowmore’s Number 1 vaults with a few mates and Heather, a wonderful lady who works at the distillery and was our guide for the Craftsman’s Tour.  Perhaps I was an unfairly harsh critic that day.

Anyway…revisiting this one a few months on, and I like it just fine.  It’s a little closer to the heavy industrial oils and tarry notes I’ve met in some of the monstrous output from the folks at Bruichladdich (in particular, an odd Octomore cask sample I tried), but brought down a notch or two in terms of overall might.  Kinda like ‘Hulk Lite’.

The title, if you’re wondering, derives from the fact that the Bowmore maltmen did indeed select five sherry butts which were originally filled on July 13th of 1995.  These butts, numbered 1551, 1552, 1553, 1559 & 1560, are what you’re drinking in this 13 year old Bowmore.  This release was limited to 3000 bottles, and I believe is now, sadly, one of the dearly departed.

Nose:  Rubber.  Smoke and tar.  New bicycle tires.  Figs and mincemeat.  Salty smoked meatiness.  Heavy BBQ sauce (but not more on the salt…less on the sweet).  Char and burning woods.  Old coffee.  Would not peg this as a Bowmore.

Palate:  Wow.  Meaty again.  Cough drops.  Fisherman’s Friend.  Chocolate, deep and dark.  Orange and grapefruit pith.  Smoky and peaty, but also juicy and saucy.  Greasy and oily.  Sharp and biting…but in a good way.  A never-ending finish.  What an odd Bowmore.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bowmore Laimrig 15 y.o.

54.4% abv

Score:  91.5/100

In late 2012, a few mates and I spent about a week or so on the Hebridean Isle of Islay, non-soberly carousing our way through the distilleries, whisky bars and restaurants.  And…uh…pretty much anywhere else we could drink (legally or otherwise).

Late one eve, just before last call in Bowmore’s legendary whisky bar, Duffies, the manager, David, bought me a dram of something special.  Very special.  So special, in fact, that it ended up being my favorite dram of the trip.  And trust me…there were a lot of good drams on that journey.

The malt David picked for me was a Bowmore Feis Ile 2011 limited release of the Laimrig 15 y.o.  Now…just to clarify…this was not the regular release of Laimrig, but one specific to the annual whisky and music festival on Islay, Feis Ile.  Sadly…for all my begging, pleading, cajoling and threatening (well…not really the latter), I was unable to procure a bottle of this.  It apparently sold out within hours of release, so my chances of scoring one weren’t good, but you can’t blame me for trying.  I’ll now shamelessly use this forum to ask again…if anyone has a bottle they’ll part with, please drop me a line.

The release we’re reviewing here is not that particular one, but is still a helluva dram.  Big and rich fruits meet machinery-esque flinty and industrial notes meet the smoke and brine we’d expect from Bowmore.  This is a return to old school Bowmore.  We’re veering away from the florals of recent years and moving back into the fruit-rich sherries that made for magical releases from this distillery through the 60s and 70s.  Yum.

There’s a lot going on with this whisky…and that’s a good thing.  I love it when I can sink into a dram for an hour or so and just…escape.  I think I could pick flavor threads out of this for hours.

Nose:  Chocolate covered cherries.  Nice jammy fruits.  Tobacco, leather and shoe polish.  Lightly smoked pork.  Flinty and oily.  Some coal and peat smoke.  Smells like evening walks on chilly nights on Islay…smoke lingering in the oceanic air.  Some rubber.  Raisin and eucalyptus.

Palate:  Plum and grape juice.  Again…rubber.  Smoke.  Slightly tarry.  Salty.  A little bit of pomegranate.  Cough drops/throat lozenges.  Slightly pithy.  Very, very drinkable.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

A.D. Rattray Bowmore 15 y.o. (Cask #2057)

56.5% abv

Score:  90/100

Wow.  What a nifty little Bowmore.  No distillery on Islay can boast even close to as many faces as Bowmore.  A true shapeshifter if ever there was.  Nailing down the profile of this distillery is an exercise in understanding the history of its development through time.  The ‘fruit age’…the ‘floral age’…the more contemporary ‘smoky caramel bacon age’.  But every now and again we find a little anomaly like this.  A malt that defies its lineage.

Herein lies the beautiful dilemma of buying single cask independent bottlings.  Much like any game of chance, the purchase of these releases is a surprise each go-round.  But…with great risk comes great reward.  Here is a bottle where any outlay of cash is more than rewarded in sheer shimmering quality.

This 15 year old Bowmore is a sensory delight.  Not perfect, but absolutely surprising and beguiling.  It hits high note after high note and when the glass is dry…I can’t help but reach for another.

Sadly…this is a malt from days past.  If you happen to chance upon it in your travels…do scoop one.

Nose:  Smoke.  Iodine.  Farmyard.  Burnt tires.  Cola and toffee.  Raspberry puree.  Fruity fudge.  Lovely really.  The sort of whisky nose I crave.  Seems a little more mature than 15 years.

Palate:  Green apple.  Ash.  Touch of creamy chocolate.  Asphalt.  Cinnamon.  Apple Pie.  Smoke.  Cola.  Rather lush jammy notes.  Big juicy sherry.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bowmore 12 y.o.

40% abv

Overall:  84.5/100

This is one of the entry level Bowmore releases.  While there are one or two slightly less expensive variants (Legend, Surf, etc) the quality in the bottle is reflective of the lower digits following the dollar sign (or pound…or euro).  If it’s your first time tackling this distillery’s output…start here, not at one of the lesser siblings.

Those fearing the primal brawny lash and bold palate associated with big peaty Islay malts may rest assured that Bowmore 12 is a much more approachable dram.  There is an odd amalgamation of Islay and not Islay in the bottle here.  Sure, there is a bit of a medicinal edge and some peatiness, and some tarry meaty notes but these are much restrained here and held in check in favor of an emphasis on sweet smoke, salt and citrus.

Details…

Nose:  The smoke here is tame and savoury-sweet. If you’ve ever cooked with Liquid Smoke you’ll have an idea as to the nose of this whisky.  Temper that with a citric (zest and pithiness) peat tang, briny Islay seabreeze and a slight iodine dressing. Some shaved chocolate.  Smoked oyster with lemon juice.  This is about as close as I can get to what you’ll pick up on the nose.

Palate:  This isn’t a big whisky (maybe it would be at a higher abv).  In fact the arrival is so silky smooth that it is almost disappointing.  Credit where credit is due though…it is distinct from the other Islay malts and it is quite tasty. Smoke…lemon…chocolate…some earthy, vegetal salty notes from the peat.  A few odd sharper notes throw the balance off just towards the end though.

All in all…quite a decent whisky. I like it. Great for a mildly stormy night. Save the Supernova for the first real snowstorm of the year.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt

Bowmore Surf

40% abv

Score:  76.5/100

Bowmore and I are not the easiest of bedfellows.  At one point it was kind of a love/hate deal.  Some of my favorite drams (and further…my all time favorite whisky) are Bowmore.  At the same time some of the most unbelievably mediocre malts I’ve ever tried originated from the same distillery.  What gives?

Bowmore Surf is a Travel Retail exclusive, and not available here on our distant shores.  Normally if you tell me that I can’t have something I only want it more (market it a limited edition and I am f*cked…seriously.  Gotta have it).  Fortunately for my pocketbook, and consequently the longevity of my marriage…I don’t need to have this, no matter whether it is limited/exclusive/rare/whatever.

This is a malty young Bowmore.  And not a great one.  It is one from the lower end of the Bowmore spectrum, in terms of both price point and quality.  Age?  Not sure.  I’ve heard possibly a 12 year old.

Nose:  Notes of smoked meat, a bit of tangy citrus and earthy peat up front.  There are notes of chocolate, though none too bold, and salt.  Kinda more ‘sweat’ salt as opposed to ‘briny’ salt.  Yeah…exactly.  Not quite as bad as you’d think though.  Hints of dry and bitter dark berries (on both the nose and palate), and quite bitter greens (again…they show up across the tongue and on the nose).  Smoke on the palate, some gritty, briny grainy-ness.

The finish has some staying power and fortunately those more pungent and bitter notes mellow into something a little softer and caramel smooth after a few moments.  Pleasant and natural oak-leeched caramel, that is.

Not bad.  Not great.  You won’t find it around here, but I guess worth trying if opportunity presents.

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  www.singlemaltwhiskyshop.com

Bowmore 15 y.o. Darkest

43% abv

Score:  84/100

Years back, Bowmore was one of the old vanguard producing malts that carried a gorgeous fruit profile, often tropical and exotic, moreso than the slightly one-dimensional releases of late.  Trust me…I’ve tried them.  These malts, primarily from the 60s, 70s and 80s are really something to behold if you can get your paws on ’em.

Many an eve has been spent on quiet ponderence (errr…sometimes rather boisterous) with members of The Collective as to just what happened to change things, and what it would take to get back on track.  A few distilleries, we’ve noted, actually seem to be moving in the right direction of late.  Won’t mention them here, but the next decade or so should be rather interesting.

Anyway…

I’m not the biggest fan of the new stable of Bowmore. Let’s get that out front first thing. I have tried several of them and to date, still reach for the 12 year old more often the others. Even that is only slightly better than middle of the road malt to me. Bowmore is held in such esteem that I immediately expect more from them. Perhaps this is unfair. Perhaps not. With well over 200 years of history and more awards than any other Scotch single malt, expectations are bound to be high.

But having said that…refer back to first paragraph.  Bowmore has produced some of the greatest whiskies I have ever tasted.  Where I used to be rather lukewarm to the distillery, I have more than come round.

Let’s move on to the Darkest itself…

There seems to be more smoke here than the 12 y.o., but a tad less peat. The peaty edge logically fading a bit with a few extra years in wood. I would sort of expect the smoke to peter out a bit too, but…doesn’t seem to have. The nose is smoky chocolate, treacle, sherry and bacon. Fairly fruity (but dark dried fruits) and a little grassy. There is something dark and menacing in the back fire and brimstone?  Not entirely pleasant. Funnily enough…one of the eves I tried this, I did so with a group of others. One of them (Scott) said it “has a darker side to it”. True…very true.

The palate is slightly bitter but fairly mellow overall. The smoke and chocolate are primary here with the sweetness tagging along like a perky little brother. Tangy peat and fruit skin are there too. It is the smoke that lingers though, with a tart finale that trumpets its last fading call long after your final sip.

This is another malt that absolutely benefits from some oxidation.  I can almost guarantee you’ll enjoy this bottle more after it has been open and sat for a couple of months (if you’re the sort who doesn’t drain them in days, that is).

– Reviewed by:  Curt

– Photo:  Curt