Bowmore 15 Year Golden & Elegant

After opening the bottle, you'd say it's a peat and sweet bomb. Unfortunately, it turns out the wood dominates the spirit and the distillery's style. Chill-filtered, colored, but really oily. Gave it a chance and bought a bottle. Starting with the nose, it feels like a bourbon straight away. Vanilla, honey, caramel, apricot sweet nectar - all sensations from a good bourbon. There's a touch of the sea - salt, also a soft earthy peat and roasted salty almonds. Clearly, the bourbon casks are dominating the spirit on the palate as well. There's an earthy smoke, but it's really nectar sweet. After that, there's a memory of peat, forgotten by the current honey, fruity, and vanilla taste. The balanced peat reminds me of a Ledaig 10yo, but there's less spirit character here. I'm not a big fan of sweet whiskies.

I'm not a huge fan of Bowmore, but this bottling and the 18-year-old are the finest examples from this distillery. Exclusive to the travel retail market, the label describes it as "bourbon cask, golden and elegant." Bottled at 43% with a tawny hue. On the nose: burnt rubber immediately upon opening, peat, salt, prunes, sea and beach aromas, quite impressive notes. On the palate, not much is happening: oranges, a pleasant warmth, a long spicy and ashy finish, and an aftertaste full of allspice. Overall, I award this a solid 84 out of 100, perhaps the highest score for a Bowmore in my estimation. Cheers.

Where is the peat? The smoke? The Islay character? Perhaps it has been softened by 15 years in the cask…certainly, there's wood spice and tannin present. That's actually quite agreeable. Maybe it's been filtered, colored, and diluted…sadly, true on all counts. This initially tastes more like bourbon than scotch, full of vanilla and caramel with a slight hint of salt and smoke on the finish to remind you that you are, in fact, in the Hebrides. For me, and likely many others, Bowmore is the overlooked Islay offspring, and they don't help themselves with this offering.

A quite pleasant nose, fresh but with a whiff of smoke. Sweet bourbon profile but with more complexity. Some fruity, citrusy notes too. Vanilla on the palate and then smoke kicks in with a spicy character. But overall, still smooth. I enjoy the typical Bowmore characteristics but without the sherry cask influence. Medium finish.

A wonderful addition to the exclusive travel collection from Bowmore. It has a medium honey color. The palate is deep and rich with a variety of dried fruits, toasted grains, salted caramel, and other maritime notes subtly present. The finish is luxurious, rich with fruit, sea salt, and just the right amount of smoke. A truly delightful dram.

I had underestimated this malt, but it proved to be a pleasant surprise. A nice dram, very rich yet smooth.