Bowmore 18 Year (SMWS 3.349 "A Whirpool of Flavor")

At this point it's just a widely acknowledged public fact that Bowmore stinks at bottling their own whisky. Basically every single scotch whisky reviewer or community says this, and all them report that independently bottled Bowmore is simply fantastic. Who knows what's wrong over at Bowmore? Let's just be glad they keep selling casks to people who do the right thing, like (in this particular case), the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). 

This is an 18 year old bottled by the SMWS as part of their 40th anniversary celebration. Here are the official notes:

A sweet fragrance of Turkish delight and coconut harmonised with aromatic riesling and moscatel wine, creating a perfect symbiosis with dried peat and wood ash. The palate too was a delight – layers of cherry fondant melted over pressed flowers, rose petals and crumbly earth. An enhanced fruity demeanour appeared by adding water. Now watermelon, pineapple and lemon zest swirled around with the riesling wine, like a whirlpool of happiness, carrying flotsam of flaked almonds, crushed hazelnuts and soft-centred meringue. The palate was now a splendorous amalgamation of apple candy and sugared orange peel, balancing with raw peat, campfire ash and suggestions of bay leaves and lemongrass.

That's quite a lineup of flavors, alright. I'm very curious about this Islay offering. Bottled at 57.9% ABV, let's just dive right into the glass:

Nose: Takes a while to really unwind, but then I get: smoke and ash, salty peat, bitter melon rind, coconut flesh, and lemon candies. More heavily peated than most Bowmores, which is kind of surprising at this age. It must have been a real belter in single digits. 

With some water: Becomes a little more interesting. More earthy, unripe tropical fruit (pineapple, mango), and vague hints of nuttiness along with a rather strong floral note. 

Mouthfeel: Medium body, but fairly chewy. 

Palate: Much more interesting on the tongue than in the nose: honey, ash, watermelon, espresso, salt, wood, flowers, peat, smoke, rose water, and potting soil. The watermelon note is particularly strong - almost like a Jolly Rancher. 

With some water: Stays about the same, but more fruit going into the finish (again, tropical and citrus). 

Finish: Quite long - honey, ash, oak, cherry, sugar, and smoke. 

Verdict: Bowmore is a curious whisky. Buy the official 12 or 15 year offerings, and you'll be left wanting more (a lot more). If you had a dram of this 18 year, you would be hard pressed to name another whisky quite like it. It has such a vibrant and unique personality, especially among the already unique Islay distilleries: that unusual flowers-and-honey note, the rich tropical fruit, the surprisingly vivid roasted oak, and the saline undertones... all rich. This is one of the better bottles of Bowmore I've had, for sure, and I think the secret is the heavier-than-unusual peat level, which adds a nice savory/earthy element to counterpoint the sweet and floral elements. Good stuff.