Bowmore 15 Years Golden & Elegant


“Bow More Mr. Nice Guy”


Whisky Review # 1028

Country: Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Region: Islay
Brand: Bowmore Golden & Elegant
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 43%
Maturation: Marriage of 1st Fill Bourbon Casks and Hogsheads
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 60-90 (July 2024)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👍 Quite good for a 15-Year old Single Malt
Buying Advice: 😐 It's not bad but too Thin and Artificial for me

Colour:

Deep Golden (Artificially Coloured)

Nose:

A bit Thin and Artificial with Sweet, Sour & Salty notes. Light Smoke coming from a BBQ party held by your neighbor a few houses down the road. The Sherry cask influence is very limited. Bowmore's Perfumed Tea is certainly there though. I would expect more from a 15 Year-old Single Malt from Islay.

Main Aromas:

Sweet Barley, Lightly Burnt Toast, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Farmyard, Grass, Hay, Perfumed Tea, Milk-Nuts Chocolate, Tropical Fruit Cocktail, Banana Bread, Sweet Apples, Citrus Fruit, Dusty Oak, Aniseed, Ginger and Mint.

Supportive Aroma Accents:

Honey, Toffee, Ham, Bacon and (Shell)Fish on the BBQ sprinkled with Lemon and Herbs, Soot, Iodine, Resin, Peat Smoke, Marzipan, Wet Newspaper, Archive Boxes, Tobacco, Polished Leather and Rubber/Plastic.


Palate:

Slightly Thin & a little Sharp. The Alcohol is certainly more noticeable now. As on the Nose the general feeling is slightly Artificial. Peat, Smoke and Ashes are more present as well. Mainly Sweet but with Sour, Salty and Bitter accents. It's okay but no more than that.

Main Flavours:

Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Yeast, Smoke, Peat, Ashes, Soot, Meat & Fish on the BBQ sprinkled with Lemon & Herbs, Perfumed Tea, Banana Bread, Red Apple, Citrus Fruit (Orange, Grapefruit), Toasted Pineapple, Coconut, Licorice, Pepper and Aniseed.

Supportive Flavour Accents:
   
Honey, Toffee, Resin, Milk-Nuts Chocolate, Polished Leather, Tobacco, Apricot Jam, Cloves and Nutmeg.


Finish:

Short/Middle-Long & on the Thin side. A little Harsh as well as the Alcohol is more noticeable. Sweet at first but with a light Bitter note toward the Dry end. I find Sweet Barley, Salted Caramel, Vanilla, Caffe Latte, Resin, Peat/Smoke, Ashes, Soot, Perfumed Tea, Nuts & Nutshells, Red Apple, Nectarine, Apricot, Citrus Fruit, Dusty Oak, Tobacco, Leather, Roasted Pineapple, Pepper, Ginger, Aniseed & some Menthol. Artificially-flavored Candy after a while.

Drinking Advice:

Added Water kills this Bowmore.

Rating: 7 (*******)

Nose: 7 - Taste: 7.5 - Finish: 7

*** Important Note with respect to Rating.

If the Final score is 8 or higher you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.

Drinking Experience Neat
: Okay


Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion:

Bowmore is the oldest Islay Distillery and was founded in 1779 by David Simpson. It changed hands various times along the years but since 1994 the Japanese Suntory group controls Bowmore. Bowmore still malts around 25% of the Barley on their premises. They currently produce over 2.15 million liters of Alcohol p.a. The Bowmore core range includes the 12, the 15 the 18 and 25 Years. Some of the Bowmore Spirit is used in Blends like Rob Roy and Black Bottle. We visited the distillery in 2014 & 2017. I absolutely love the Malting Floor, the Shop & Visitor-Centre. Certainly well-worth the visit.

It's not easy to find really good Whisky in the Travel Retail shops these days. And this Bowmore 15 Years is not an exception. It's not really bad and certainly fairly priced but it's also Thin, slightly Artificial and Emotionless. And that's not what I look for in a 15 Year old Single Malt from Islay. What a difference with the great old 17 Years. But unfortunately they don't make Whisky like that bo more 😜

Cheers! 🥃

Jan van den Ende                                                                          July 25, 2024

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