After the lovely NAS Black sands with all that sherry influence, comes an age statement expression intended for travel retail, not something you see every day in the TR market. This Bowmore was aged in 100% ex-bourbon casks, bottled at 43% (a bit higher would have been nicer). It comes in standard 700 ml bottles, and not in the 1 litre bottles the other two younger siblings come in.
Bowmore 17 yo ‘White Sands’ , Travel Retail, £79.99 (0.7 litre)
Nose: Toffee and smoke layered upon a melange of exotic fruit, a bit of zest , but a lot creamier than what I had expected.
Palate: A sweet juicy palate. Lots of barley sugars, golden syrup , caramel candy and vanilla intertwined with delicate smoke and earthy peat with the teensiest bit of pepper. This is one of the creamier Bowmores I’ve had. Beautiful. But not very maritime if you’re looking for that.
Finish: Milk chocolate. Caramel. Fudge and peat smoke.
Bottom line:
A belter of a dram. Not very smoky and peaty with maritime notes but a creamy smoky delight it surely is, although you normally don’t look for a lot of peat in a typical Bowmore, this one is indeed very elegant and offers a touch of Islay with a lot of smoothness.
Score: 88/100
official sample provided by Bowmore distillery.
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