Bowmore 17 Year White Sands

After a rough day at work I decided rather than drink away my sorrows with quantity I’d instead sip them away while doing a review. That way I could engage my mind in something other than negative emotions over trivial things. I grabbed this sample that was sent to me from @LeeEvolved I haven’t had a Bowmore in a long while so it seemed like a good idea. This single malt from Islay is a travel retail exclusive that was aged at least 17 years in ex bourbon barrels. Bottled at 43% ABV and is certainly chill filtered and has colorant added making it a dark amber. The nose opens with damp, musty peat, ashy and earthy. Quite fruity as well. In fact the sweet fruitiness quickly overtakes the peat in dominance with peaches, apricots, toasted coconut, strawberries and grilled pineapple. Plenty of honey, malted barley and heavy floral notes of orange/cherry blossoms. A light saltiness but overall sweet and fruity. Light oak, maple and caramel. Ever so subtle bourbon notes, vanilla and nuts. The palate is two dimensional; peat and fruit. Tropical fruits like coconut, mango, and apricots. A decent peat level, but nothing compared to Bowmore’s south coast Islay brethren. More earthy than ashy or smoky. Musty cardboard, oak and oak tannins. Not much else going on, but it is interesting how the spirit interacted with bourbon casks and produced such a strong tropical fruit profile, where others are more honeyed with orchard fruits like apples or pears. A light bodied mouthfeel that is thin and watery. The finish is medium long with tropical fruits, peat and is dry. A couple years ago at the begging of the famed Scottish Distillery Tour I supplied the group with a Bowmore Gold Reef. This is incredibly similar to that one. Perhaps a bit more mellowed though. This 17 year old cost double what that NAS did and the difference in quality is negligible from what I remember. So given a choice I’d take the cheaper one any day. I will say that this would be good as a sipper. Not one to dissect, but rather to sip absentmindedly while engaged in other activities. Cheers

This is a non-USA, travel retail exclusive that I added to an international order to help justify shipping costs. This 17 year old was supposedly aged in ex-bourbon oak casks. It’s antique gold in the taster, with heavy droplets and thick legs. The nose is lightly smoked and sulphuric- very reminiscent of a lot of Bowmore’s younger, core releases. There’s some toffee and cinnamon with some nice oak cask notes providing the backbone. The palate is malty, with caramel/toffee notes and a decent smoke wrapping things up. The finish is unfortunately short and malty with a surprising absence of barrel character. Overall, the name White Sands had me expecting briny and ocean salt notes, but none of that appeared here at all. It’s just a semi-boring Bowmore that feels more like a money grab than a special release. It suffers from the biggest complaint I can muster with Bowmore- sulphuric flavors due to lower ABV. It seems like every high-proof offering I’ve had from these guys does a great job of adding character while hiding the sulphuric notes. This falls victim to the same issue for me. 3 stars and at $82 for a bottle- it’s a hard pass. Cheers, my friends.

With such an important aging, it's a pity they did not have the courage to maintain the natural color. The peat festively greets the nostrils as soon as the nose is approached, almost immediately dominated by a pleasant fruity, tropical, very warm and soft note, accompanied by the sweetness (almost cloying) of toffee. The peat really disappears in a flash, you have to go and look for it under this blanket of molasses, but there is. Strangely, no marine or salty profile, at least for me. Instead, we find it on the palate, where tropical fruit (more balanced than the sense of smell) lies on a not very accentuated salty note, with the smoke always light, almost ethereal, in the background. The white sands recalled in the name (in reference to those of the coast of Laggan Bay on Islay) would lead you to think of a strong marine profile, especially considering the aging in Vault No.1, but here is the fruity sweetness to be the master. By letting the whisky breathe, the peat becomes (pleasantly) more present, taming the sweetness on the palate. The finish is unexpectedly bitter and dry, with the smoky note that lasts long enough.

Oh dear Bowmore... how could you do this to me after i gave you a perfect score on your Devil's cask iii? Got my hands into this expression, another Bowmore that promises but can't deliver. Although it is not a bad dram, you just have to wonder why a 17yo costs $86 on whisky exchange. Well.... Bottled at 43%abv, tawny color. On the nose, it is maritime and coastal. Sea foam, beach, sand, slightly peated and a little orange. Can't blame them on naming this one "white sands" On the palate, peat, pepper, ashes, gun powder, meat with salt. Aftertaste is very very short, salty. Overall this dram could be better, but i guess is good for $86, but you can get better (like your old friend lagavulin 16yo). My score for it: 74 out of 100.

This is a good Scotch for bourbon drinkers or anyone looking for a gentle introduction to malt. The nose is vanilla and creamy toffee, with just a dash of peat. In the mouth, its very creamy and slightly spicy. The finish is long, creamy and slightly tart, with a hint of spice. Everything hangs together nicely and there are no off-notes, it’s just a little unadventurous for my taste. It’s as pleasant as a walk on the beach and about as challenging. Thanks for the sample @LeeEvolved!

Nose: honey, vanilla, light smoke, citrus, coastal notes. Mouth: Salt, salt and salt, light peat, vanilla and citrus again, some delicate fruits, oak is in background. The sweet notes are messing with me at they would appear to be from an old and too often used sherry cask. A bit too low abv. This edition at 48% would be a wow. Final: a lot of salt again and some wood ripe. Citrus aciditt in background.