Bowmore Distillery Manager's Selection vintage 1997

Another excellent find from the Bowmore's old & Rare bar this year was the Bowmore Distillery Manager Selection, a superb vintage from 1997, bottled in 2019. This 21-year-old dram was aged in oloroso sherry hogsheads and bottled at a pleasing 51.7% ABV. Only 3000 bottles were ever released. On the nose, I detect plums, figs, rich dulce de leche, hot syrup, and coffee with cranberries. Cocoa powder. Wonderful. On the palate, it's intensely chocolatey. Coffee dregs in a cup. This is both bitter and chocolaty. An aftertaste carries a peaty character. Ash and cigarette butts. Overall, I don't think this is overly complex, but it is exceptionally good. A very enjoyable whisky, which commands a very high price today (one I don't have, and even if I did, I wouldn't pay it). My rating is an honest 91 out of 100.