Bowmore 22yo Single French Wine Barrique, Cask#2304, vintage 1999.

I've reached the Bowmore Distillery. After years as a whiskey enthusiast, I've always considered these among the most collectible single malts from Islay, though they were never my favorite. I never disliked them, I just wasn't impressed by many of their selections (though some others were truly spectacular). This distillery visit has transformed my perspective entirely. I now proudly identify as "A Bowmore Soldier". The tour, grounds, and warehouse are simply extraordinary. Nothing compares to Bowmore, not even my preferred choices: Lagavulin or Glendronach. They allow access INSIDE THE KILN. Yes, you read that correctly; there's a rear entrance that leads you into a peat-filled environment. You then assist in turning the barley on the malting floor and enter the chamber where the barley is smoked with peat. The warehouse is breathtaking, and they permit you to sample from two distinct 22-year-old casks, after which you select one for your own hand-filled bottle. Subsequently, they offer two more samples of very rare, limited Bowmores in the bar. This is exceptional customer service. (And the circular church is just uphill, the one linked to the legend of the devil's casks). With all that said, one of the drams we sampled in the actual warehouse was this 22-year-old single cask from French Wine Barriques, a distiller's edition, cask number 2304, vintage 1999, bottled at 47.2% ABV. On the nose, it's quite good. Notes of banana, vanilla ice cream, rich caramel, and floral elements. Very refined. It's like a banana split with a subtle citrus hint. Creamy. Faint, very faint ashes. Orange ice cream, highly aromatic. Prunes. On the palate, it's a bit direct but also pleasant. Red wine, zesty orange peel. Elegant on the palate as well. The finish was perfect. Sawdust presented elegantly, smoky and distinctly salty. Red wine mingled with mineral salinity. Excellent spirit. Overall, this improved with each sip. The nose was good, the palate nice, and the finish explosively amazing. The entire experience merits a higher score, but to remain objective, my rating for this marvelous dram is 93 out of 100.