This was a "bonus" dram at the end of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS") June outturn event at the Jack Rose Saloon, along with the 18 year Glen Garioch. I have had a few of these 17 year Bowmores from SMWS now, and they are all quite good, albeit slightly pricy for what they are. Eh, you pay for the name and the scarcity, I suppose - along with the fact that you'll never find a distillery bottling this good from Bowmore itself.
Here are the official notes:
A typically exquisite nose that screams 'this' distillery. Abundant soft, almost overripe, exotic fruits. Wispy peat smoke, bonfire embers, bonjella mouth gel, seawater, pink grapefruit and light antiseptic notes. Just exquisite! With water we found it became more mineral, with dried mango and guava, threads of peat smoke, ointments, dried herbs and a lovely umami richness. The neat palate opened with a slick of sweet, velvety peat. Oily in texture, with vivid notes of mango, passion fruit and guava jam. Exotic fruit salad juices pooling in a bowl with sharper tones of grapefruit and seawater. Reduction brought smoked lychees, smoked olive oil, mineral salts and stunningly resinous and herbal peat smoke. Sweet and saline in perfect balance.
From creator Euan Campbell: This is such an elegant take on a peated Islay whisky, left to mature over the course of 17 years in less active hogsheads that have brought a beautiful herbal peat smoke along with exotic fruits. Gorgeous!
Story checks out: tropical fruit, light smoke, ash/ember... the only thing missing from this description is the rich honey note I usually get from Bowmore. Well, we'll just have to see. As stated, 17 years in a less active hogshead, bottled at 57% ABV. Let's ride:
Nose: A bit shy. Actually, very shy. I get faint smoke, faint ash, orchard fruit, coconut, and light light tropical notes. This nose is as closed off as it gets - but, in all fairness, it was a sample at a group event and I simply didn't have the time to let the glass rest properly - and it was the 12th or 13th dram of the day for me, which means I might not have been at the height of my sensing powers. But still - other things I tried immediately before and after it were much more bright and vivid on the nose, so I really think this needs quite a bit of time to unwind.
Mouthfeel: Silky! Surprisingly so.
Palate: Ash and honey, although lighter/less honey than I'm used to for Bowmore. This also has cedar shavings, tropical fruit (mostly pineapple), coconut, and a light salinity. I don't get any of the savory flavors from the official notes - olives, resin, ointments, herbs - even in the slightest, but there is a faint coastal quality here that might give rise to such things given enough time.
Finish: Ash, honey, and ... rain water! That's what my notes say, and I'm sticking to it.
Verdict: Another nice 17 year Bowmore from SMWS - they have cornered the market on upper-teen bottlings of Bowmore for sure. A solid expression, although a bit shy and delicate, probably needs time in the glass that I simply couldn't afford to give it. Probably worth the gamble, though. A nice Islay.
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