Released in January of 2007, Bowmore 15 Year Old is aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and then 3 years in 1st fill oloroso sherry casks.
Appearance: Lovely and dark, cherry wood/chocolate. Just a shame it’s not natural colour! Lovely viscosity, loads of thick oozy legs and a thorough coating on the glass.
Nose: The lower alcohol level allows the delicate aromas to come through.
Coastal, wisps of smoke, mixed nuts, buttered toast, dark forest fruits, cherry coke and a minty coolness.
As the glass matures there are oaky earthy notes, along with blackberries and plumb.
The nose is nothing new or exciting, but very pleasant all the same. It’s a friendly start to the dram.
Palate: Not thin, but definitely not oily. A smokey metallic/heavy tannin flavour hits first, quite unpleasant and chemical-like. There’s also bitter black coffee, strawberry laces, liquorice (maybe) and blood orange.
After a few sips and palate acclimatisation, there are hints of berries and sweetness but it struggles to break through the initial (and lingering) dominance of those astringent and bitter flavours.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t find anything that I like about this palate.
Finish: Alcohol heat and leather, artificial cherry sweetness, grapefruit and a touch of black pepper.
Overall: Nope, especially for £50+. Nothing that I like about this I’m afraid. It’s a confusing and mostly a bitter affair, most of the flavours also taste artificial.
Thanks to @scotchjak for sending me this sample, I’m only sorry that I didn’t like it, at all.
