Bowmore 22 Year Old 1990 cask 185078 Rare Select (Montgomerie's)

Bowmore 12 Year Old 2000 The Whisky Mercenary

I have met Jürgen Vromans a couple of time, always a helping hand at whisky festivals. Perhaps that is where he discovered his love for independent bottlers? So he started doing it himself. He just released his fourth whisky (which I will try later this week) so I thought I would give them all a go. They are bottled under the Whisky Mercenary...

Score 86/100

Bowmore 12 Year Old

On the nose, The Bowmore was rather smoky. This smoke was present on the palate as well the dram was lifted unexpectedly by delicate fingers of honey sweetness and a puff of citrus which existed almost more in the nose than in the mouth. And the finish added a tiny hint of bitterness–almost beneath the threshold of conscious notice–that pulled all...

Score 86/100

Bowmore 15 Year Old Mariner

The Mariner is a much maligned and apparently now discontinued line among Bowmore’s standard bottlings, understandable really as it’s younger siblings have always been preferable to me. It pours an amber coloured liquor with a simple but characteristic Bowmore aroma of smoke and seaweed. On the palate the smoke and seaweed continue with a slightly...

Score 85/100

Bowmore 12 Year Old

Nose, Taste, Finish and Balance are graded out of 2.5 each. Nose: There is the unmistakeably Islay hit of smoked eel, seaweed and medicine, however unlike some of Bowmore's famous Islay cousins such as Ardbeg and Laphroaig, there seems to be a sweeter approach here, more of a candied smoked eel, or an apricot flavour Strepsil. (2.0) Taste:...

Score 85/100