Bowmore 15 Year 'The Darkest'

When I think of "sherried Islay Scotch," this is definitely not the first, second, or third bottle that comes to my mind. I've long wanted to try this 15-year-old Bowmore offering - the standard 12-year expression aged an additional three years in Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at 43% ABV. The price is a little prohibitive - hovering between $75 and 90 depending on what shop you are frequenting - but I happened upon a good sale and splurged. 

This seems to be surprisingly divisive.
Some love it, some hate it, few are in between. Part of this is Bowmore's ridiculous inclusion of the nickname "The Darkest" on the packaging ... this would be fine except for the all-important fact that they are using caramel coloring! Any Scotch could be the darkest given enough coloring. I'm much more interested in what it might have looked like without the caramel. 

I like the standard 12 year expression very much, although I recognize it's not a "normal" Islay by any means. By turns sweet and medicinal, with an interesting palate and a nice clump of ashes on the tongue at the end, I find myself yearning for it as much as Laphroaig 10 or Lagavulin 16 these days - no small compliment. So what is the 15 like?

Nose: Rum raisin ice cream dominates. Quite mild smoke. Figs and dates. Very faint iodine. Vanilla frosting.  After sitting for a bit, faint cedar and tar. A syrupy sweet nose that shows heavy sherry influence, offset by some interesting woodland elements. 

Mouthfeel: Quite oily and resinous. Like wine. 

Palate: Much smokier than the nose would indicate. Peat and smoke are fairly prominent out of the gate and thicken steadily as the palate develops. Hoisin sauce. Red grape skins. Oak and cinnamon and quite mild pepper. Mushrooms sauteed in red wine (not kidding!). Wet moss. Chocolate. A really unusual assortment of flavors. Almost no alcohol bloom. 

Finish: Moderately long, oak and chocolate and the characteristic Bowmore ash that outstays everything else. 

Verdict: This is quite enjoyable, but also an acquired taste. Some of the flavors here are not for everyone (rum raisin ice cream, sauteed mushrooms, strong deposit of cigar ash) and don't necessarily belong together. It's an odd duck, to be sure. ScotchNoob described this as having a quality of "fungitude," which I puzzled over until I tried this. Now I understand. The combination of the mildly peated Islay liquid and the thick, resinous, sweet sherry casks results in some really otherworldly savory flavors I've never seen elsewhere. This is very easy-drinking, and I'm curious if the bottle will "open up" after some more time. But be forewarned: Uigeadail, this ain't.