Bowmore 1964 37 Year Fino Cask

My first whisky review of the year, and this one is a banger. Easily the best aroma I’ve ever had, and hands down the most expensive whisky I’ve ever experienced. ( $30k/ bottle ) But first a backstory. This sampling took months in the making. Maybe even over a year in the making. All started last June. We took a family vacation to the African safari…Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania. Was meant to be a trip of a lifetime, and had three generations on that vacation: one 82 yr old, us adults, a teenager, and a middle schooler. On the way back from CapeTown to NJ, our flight was canceled last minute because the entire plane was rented out by an American pop star. Next flight was next day. In return, all United gave us was a comp at a hotel for the night. 24 hours lost. The following day, we immediately started off with a 6 hour delay. Only other flight option was CapeTown to Nigeria to EWR. Six hours later, we were told that flight was canceled. Next flight was 5 hours later to Munich with a 10 hour layover then EWR. Now, it’s 36 hours of being stuck before even boarding. Then in Munich, the flight to EWR was canceled. Next flight was 4 hours later. Tally is 40 hours before even boarding the flight. My 82 yr old father at this point looked as if his last stop in life will be Munich. He was physically done. We really thought this was it for him…the physical toll of delays was more than he could take. Somewhere in between though, we didn’t notice our 11 yr old middle schooler went missing at the Munich airport. We were so focused on the 82 yr old, that we lost track of the one person that doesn’t have a mobile phone in our group. Panic set in. If you ever have been to the Munich airport , it’s huge. Just as we’re about to go to the airport security, he shows up. Apparently he went to the United service desk at Munich airport, and complained like hell even yelling “if you touch me to remove me, keep in mind I’m a minor, and that will constitute assault”. He demanded United compensate us 5 for the sheer toil bought on to the 82 yr old senior. He laid out a scenario where he said “ it won’t be a good look for United if a senior citizen passes away here because of their delays. How much is avoiding that worth to you ?” After 2 hours of complaining, somehow he got $2k/person credit to be used in 1.5 year. That’s $10k! That now brings us to this review… Our other dream trip was always to see the northern lights over Christmas in the Norwegian arctic. But the flights can be expensive. About $2k per person. But, guess what we have to use up before the end of the year ? YES!!! Our $2k/person credits!!! As soon as we booked the arctic trip, I contacted fellow whisky connoisseur @Slainte-Mhath , since he’s in Oslo. Our plans allowed us to have one final night in Oslo before flying back out. So, we met up for sample exchange ( I poured him some super hard to find American whiskeys and bourbon, and he poured me samples of ultra rare well aged grain and malt). In addition, he treated me to a few pours at a local whiskey bar, where we had a 13 yr Local Barley Springbank, a 1979 28yr Carsebridge, and the stunner of a lifetime , this 1964 37 yr Bowmore. Hands down , my top nose ever by a mile, and top three palette. Nose: fruit basket galore! Mango, lychees, pineapple ! This whisky was meant to savor and nose, not chug. 100 out of 100. Palette: a step down from all tropical fruits to a balance of earthy mushrooms, fruits, and a tinge of smoke. Wow. The pour was about $100 USD, and a bottle is over $30k. Easily the most expensive whisky I’ve had, and my god it will be forever etched in my memory for that nose alone! Immense thank you @Slainte-Mhath for the experience and a great evening sharing stories over amazing pours! Attached is rhe pic of the bottle and a few of the amazing auroras

Who would pass up the opportunity to taste and review one of the top 5 whiskies of all time? The nose of this 1964 Bowmore is out of this world, almost ethereal, thriving with lychee, passion fruit and lilies. Pineapple, tobacco and some waxy notes emerge, this is almost too precious to drink. Silky, lush and more acidic than anticipated, the palate is a tropical fruit dream, flourishing with juicy oranges, guava and a subtle layer of soot. It begs for another sip as the sophisticated finish lingers. I'm not a Bowmore fanboy, but this dram is nectar of the gods! RATING: 5.0/5.0 stars ≙ 95 pts → PERFECT