Bowmore Tempest 10 Year

This is a serious dram...nose is busy, sweet fruit almost tropical but also brine, peat and floral notes. Busy, complex and full smelling. Taste has an initial sweetness and fruit that almost instantly gets smashed by salt, iodine and spice. This is not the place to introduce someone to whisky! Firm peat make itself known on the finish and the taste lingers for ages after you swallow. Salty liquorice and peat is the lasting impression. It overloads your palate and I can see this turning as many people off as on. I actually like it neat but water adds a note of smoothness to the presentation and opens out the peat. This is a huge whisky almost comic book in its approach. I like it but not a preferred dram after a long day. 4 stars just for the wild ride or 92.

I received a sample and was not expecting much as I don’t really like the regular Bowmore 10. Hits the palette hot and doesn’t feel like cask strength is the right point. Lots of alcohol and sparky on the tongue. This one really needs water. The same night I had Lot 40 Cask Strength at 57% and it was excellent as bottled. This Bowmore needs water. With water you get some fruit and the lightest hint of peat. Much better with water. Nice to try but I wouldn’t buy.

I've had 4 of the 5 different batches. They're all pretty good, though I recall batch #2 (I think) as being particularly excellent and worthy of 5 stars.

Melon and spicy prosciutto - really delicious. Almost no heat or ethanol despite the high abv. Really impressed with this one! -batch 6 btw

I tasted a bit more lime than orange. It was a really nice drink. Big smoky ending, perhaps just a little too smoky for my taste.

Batch IV Nose: cake; vanilla; light ginger Taste: smoke; cereal; vanilla; orange peel Finish: medium; pepper; sweet