Bowmore 12 Year

My brother-in-law was surprised that, being an Islay lover, I had never tried Bowmore 12. The reason for that is that Bowmore 12 is an 80 proof 12-year Scotch that goes for $67.99 in my neck of the woods. Ardbeg 10 and Laphroaig 10 are both now $64.99, but for years, they were both closer to $50, so why would I spent almost $20 more for a lower-proof Islay? And truth be told, now that I’ve tasted Bowmore, they’re both far superior to this. Not that Bowmore is a bad experience. It’s quiet lovely. I picked it up on clearance for $42.39, which made it even lovelier. Really, this is the kind of Islay you might use to convert a non-Islay drinker. Lacking Laphroaig’s medicinal qualities or Ardbeg’s tar, this is delicate in the presence of its peat. Not so delicate as something like Jura 10, but delicate nonetheless. The aroma reminds me of Lapsang Tea, which is a smoky tea, with a bit of vanilla in the mix and a faint whiff of lemon. The palate continues in the same vein with the peat coming through a bit stronger but only a bit. There’s a bit of honey mixed in, so the Lapsang tea experience continues, and during the finish, the vanilla and lemon flavors come on strong, but the finish overall, is relatively short. It doesn’t linger the way Laphroaig or Ardbeg do. And this is certainly no Bruichladdich. Overall, not really worth $67.99 a bottle so I’m unlikely to purchase this again, but I’m glad I’ve had it. I’d be interested in trying a higher proof older aged Bowmore, as I understand they have a good reputation. For now, the 80 proof serves a purpose. The reason I’m opening this tonight is the Eagles-Dolphins game is starting at 8:20 pm, which means it’ll be over about 11 pm and I have to work tomorrow, and on night such as these, when my dad and I are settling in to watch some football that’s going that late, I’ll thank myself for sticking to the 80 proof whiskies tomorrow morning. Speaking of which, my dad brought over the Jura 10, which is half the price of this, not an Islay, but lightly peated nonetheless, so it’ll be an interesting comparison, but for now, I’m going to close this up without my notes on the Jura. For now, the Bowmore 12 is enough.

Nose: Oaky, sweetness, some smoke. Not much alcohol. Taste: Oakey sweetness probably from the bourbon cask. Really nice, mellow smoke, like sitting in Infront of a fire that's down to it's last embers on a summer's evening. The smokey notes develops in the middle. Perhaps a hint of something flowery like heather at the end. This one has a long finish. Conclusions: I really like this one! I am new to scotch, so most bottles are first time tries for me. I image many of you who like high abv and complexity will find it a bit tame. But for me, the sweet goes great with the peat. Goes down real easy. I would recommend this for those who like myself have been geared towards bourbon and just getting into peaty stuff. Or just a smooth, sweet and smoky whiskey.

Bowmore 12 year COLOR: At 1.6 Mahogany, this has to have some artificial color added. NOSE: First nosing yields Mild Ash and Peat. Subsequent sniffs yield not much else. Maybe some honeycomb? A little Tart Fruit? There’s also a Barnyard Funk. NEAT: Much sweeter than the nose would suggest. Honey, Vanilla, and Apple. Peat and Campfire Smoke on the backend and finish. An Ashy coating lingers and coats the palate. Fairly Simple, but good. SPLASH: Adds an unpleasant bitterness. Neat is the way to go here. VERDICT: What a huge disappointment. Maybe my expectations for an Islay Whisky were too high? Maybe my palate just wasn’t in a Peaty mood? I’m really hoping this gets better with some time open. If it does, I’ll update. For now, 3.25 stars.

Bowmore 12 Year Old 酒精濃度：40％ 產地：蘇格蘭艾雷島 容量：700ml 色澤:呈現琥珀色 香氣:嗅覺有著來自Islay淡淡的檸檬、蜂蜜味緊緊環繞在波摩特有的煙燻味中 報紙雜誌味 口感:帶有黑巧克力及泥煤的煙燻口感 咸咸地 尾韻:後味變化微妙且悠長 得獎紀錄: 2017 國際葡萄酒暨烈酒大賽-銀牌 波摩酒廠是蘇格蘭最古老的威士忌酒廠之一。自 1779 年創立以來，矗立於蘇格蘭西邊艾雷島上的 Indaal灣海岸邊。時至今日，仍堅持使用最優良的古法釀酒，由代代相傳的師傅，以人工的方式攪動麥芽，在眾多酒廠中只有七家酒廠仍沿用此法。接著，以浸泡過海水的泥煤燻乾麥芽，賦予威士忌濃烈的海潮香氣；純淨無染的Laggan 河，歷經了高山岩層及地下泥煤層的仔細過濾後，讓酒憑添幾許甘甜風味；而最後以西班牙雪莉酒和美國波本威士忌橡木桶陳年的過程，更讓波摩威士忌在低於海平面的神秘 1 號酒窖的長久沉睡中，得到最完美的孕育。 由於波摩酒廠製酒歷年來國際大賽獲獎無數，堪稱是各大酒展比賽的常勝軍。1995年在國際葡萄酒與烈酒比賽（IWSC）榮獲「年度最佳蒸餾酒廠」的殊榮；1997 年更獲得英國蘇格蘭麥芽酒廠評鑑機構遴選為五星級單一麥芽蘇格蘭威士忌酒廠；更在 1996、1997、1998 連續三年獲得英國女皇頒與「英國優良出口廠商大獎」。

Nose is fairly sweet with heavy bourbon influences, notea of vanilla, peat smoke, caramel, olive brine, and light fruitiness. Palate exudes bourbon fruitiness with notes of ripe pear, pineapple, and further caramel with a bild accent of char and smoke, with slight ashy bitterness. Finish is medium length with notes of grilled pineapple and stone fruit with an ash/iodine bitterness. Very nice but bottle takes a good while to open up, decent complexity and flavour for the price.

Whiskey Advent calendar day 1. This advent calendar I was invited to initially 2 years ago is always amazing! Tried neat. Peaty and fruity with citrus, pepper, leather notes to the nose finishing slightly tart. On the palate it’s smooth and smoky like sitting by a campfire with notes of leather, cinnamon, slight caramel.