Bowmore – Legendary, Timeless!
I was lucky enough to take part in the recent Bowmore ‘Timeless’ @TweetTastings – and it was truly Legendary!
Once again ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, we were also joined on the night by David Turner, Distillery Manager at Bowmore, who imparted his wisdom!
The malts sampled were:-
- Bowmore 12 Years Old
- Bowmore 15 Years Old
- Bowmore 18 Years Old
- Bowmore ‘Timeless Series’ 27 Years Old
- Bowmore ‘Timeless Series’ 31 Years Old
Bowmore was the first licensed Islay distillery, and has stood on the shores of Lochindaal, a sea loch opening out into the wild Atlantic Ocean, since 1779.
The distillery still operates in traditional ways, honouring the origin whisky-making techniques, refining their craft for over 240 years.
Bowmore uses the soft fresh water from the nearby River Laggan, barley malted in their proprietary malt barns and perfectly-timed fermentation periods with a cocktail of cultivated yeast to produce their single malt.
The Malt Barns are hand crafted, the tradition has been handed down through generations. It’s an art of time, turning the Barley by hand for 7 days. The tropical fruits Bowmore is well known for start out in the Malt Barns and get carried through the process to the whisky.
The Mash is run very slowly, stirring a maximum 3 times in 5 hours and 30 minutes which gives a nice semi-clear wort. This is what brings the fruity flavours through from the Malt Barns.
Fermentations are for 66 hours, using two different yeasts to give the Fermentation the flavours Bowmore requires.
The Spirit Stills are also run slowly – 16 litres per minute from each Spirit Still. This is to ensure only the finest and lightest of flavours carry over the neck of the Stills and into the Condensers and Spirit Safe.
If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #BowmoreTimeless on Twitter.
So, what did I think?
Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!
Tasting Notes – Bowmore 12 Years Old (40%)
Bowmore 12 Year Old: Matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Oloroso Sherry casks. The oloroso sherry casks come from Bodega Jose y Miguel Martin in Jerez, Spain.
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Nose: Peaty smoke with lovely coastal aromas – creamy vanilla with hints of citrus. Palate: Sweet and pleasantly smokey which makes it very sippable! Zesty lemon and some floral notes. Finish: A dry spicy finish with yummy peppery bite! Overall: Lovely sipping dram with some great floral and smokey flavours! |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – Bowmore 15 Years Old (43%)
Initially matured in a combination of 12 years in Bourbon barrels and finished for 3 years in 1st. fill Oloroso Sherry casks.
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Nose: Mmm, creamy sherry – completely different to the twelve! Raisins, plump fruits, dusky polish and very faint hints of strawberry! Plenty of toffee, toffee, toffee as time passes and this dram also gets smokier after a good long sit in the glass! Palate: Ooh! Nicely sherried with plenty of fruit! Some smokey backburner action going on as well! Finish: A spicy finish with blackcurrant & chocolate. Overall: A big step-up from the twelve and a great dram to boot! As often is the case, the 15 of any range is a good compromise between taste (of an 18) and price-point (of a 12). |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – Bowmore 18 Years Old (43%)
Matured in a combination of Bourbon barrels and Oloroso Sherry casks.
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Nose: Very fruity with plump blackcurrant. There’s more tropical fruitiness and also dusky roominess & furniture polish ‘Liquid’ smoke & toffee! Palate: Very smooth and creamy with tropical fruits to the fore! There’s some dark chocolate and blackcurrants as well. Finish: Growing smokiness with salt and increasing spicy pepper. Slightly medicinal at the end. Overall: A classy dram with rich flavours of tropical fruits, chocolate and smokiness! |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – Bowmore 27 Years Old (52.7%)
Bowmore Timeless Series 27 Year Old: Limited to 3,000 bottles – Now available from specialist retailers, with a RRP of £1,500.00.
Initially matured in a combination of Sherry casks and Bourbon barrels for 15 years, before being matured for a further 12 years in first-fill Oloroso butts.
Bottled at natural Cask Strength of 52.7%, non-chill filtered and natural colour.
Shaped by centuries of skill and tradition, it’s single malt harnesses the power of it’s history in every single drop.
The Timeless Series reflects this legacy, celebrating the timeless creation, as patience and dedication combine with an unwavering attention to detail.
Bowmore are continually seeking different ways to bring their story to life and drive intrigue, as well as desirability. The Timeless Series supports this approach but also offers the consumer a limited edition proposition with the most exceptional single malt.
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Nose: Rich, cane sweetness married with tropical fruits and loads of toffee! Heavy, stewed fruits, a little blackcurrant & loads of love! It’s woody, dusty, rich, creamy, chocolatey and timeless! Palate: Rich, satisfying, mouthfeel with Chocolate, heavily stewed fruits & more chocolate! Blackcurrant, sweet vanilla toffee & tobacco. Finish: Spicy pepper leads us out accompanied by that glorious stewed fruit sweetness. Overall: A Very different dram, to me, than the 31 year old. A Fantastic flavour extravaganza though and an experience to be cherished! |
Tasting Notes – Bowmore 31 Years Old (45.4%)
Limited to 3,000 bottles and available exclusively through Global Travel Retail for a RRP of £1,725.00
Initially matured in Bourbon barrels for 28 years, before being matured for a further 3 years in Spanish Oak Matusalem Sherry seasoned butts.
Inspired by the classic hourglass shape, each Timeless Series edition is housed in a distinctive black box.
Inside the bottle sits alongside an hourglass, designed to encourage the drinker to turn it and allow nature’s gravity to release the grains of sand into the base of the hourglass.
This gives three precious minutes to enjoy the nose of this beautifully balanced masterpiece that has taken decades to perfect.
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Nose: Creamy, sweet vanilla with hints of background smoke. Dusky, oaky, old leather, tropical fruits including pineapple – WoW! Palate: Very floral (rosewater) and amazingly so! Distinctive parma violets, pineapple & other lovely tropicalness. Finish: Much the same with just a hint of pepper to increase the joy! Overall: The 27 and 31 are heady drams and I defy anyone to say they don’t like them! They are an amazing taste bud experience and I wish the samples allowed me to spend more time with them. As ever, they ran out all too soon but I certainly won’t forget them! |
My Favourite On The Night
Out of the 5, I think it’s got to be the Bowmore 27 Years Old – just stunning!.
Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire / @TweetTastings) and Bowmore (@bowmore) for providing such glorious, special drams!
Many thanks to Bowmore for providing such glorious, special drams!
My fellow Tweet Tasters on the night were:-
@TheWhiskyWire @thedramble @TheWhiskyphiles @ocdwhisky @MaltMusings @rodbodtoo @WhiskyWings @Whiskylassie @MarkBylok @GreatDrams @joewb69 @KristianeSherry @cowfish @Whiskyexperts @PosDrinking @MoodieDavitt @MashtunandMeow @MrEdwardMilner @LaCaveDeCobalt @ChrisMCoates @ShayWaterworth @char_mcmanus @EdinburghWhisky @TheTRBusiness @T_M_Insider
Bowmore is available to buy from these Merchants:-
