31½ years in American Oak hogsheads ex-Bourbon casks, followed by 18 months in seasoned White Tawny Port casks.
Appearance: Old gold. A hairline swirl mark with many medium/thick legs. A decent film forms of the glass and clings for some time.
Nose: Much more confectionary forward than most Bowmores, sweet shop sherbert and icing sugar, even the smoke smells like it’s sugar-coated. Strawberry jam on buttered toast starts to edge to the forefront as the glass matures. Pineapple fritters and American pancakes too.
Palate: Lovely buttery mouthfeel. Tropical fruit fritters, brown sugar and blackberries. Subtle cinnamon and nutmeg, together with some fresh drilled oak and Werthers Originals. It’s a lovely sweet and mellow palate, great balance and there’s nothing not to like. Probably unsurprisingly, it’s my favourite dram from @bowmore so far.
Finish: The sweet icing sugar-dusted tropical fruits, subtle smoke and that buttery layer all linger for a medium amount of time. A touch drying but not a negative. There’s some faint sweet spice too. It’s still mellow and such an easy sipper.
Overall: A really lovely whisky with nothing offputting at all. I’m not the biggest Bowmore fan and up to the 22-year old I’d pass on them, the 22 and 33 are both a great dram though.
