Give me (Bow)MORE
haha. such a punny title ☺
Next to the oh-so-famous Laphroiag and Lagavulin, Bowmore may seem like a poorer cousin but you may be surprised.
A curious new Scotch drinker stumbles into a local liquor store. He isn’t quite educated on all the different regions, flavor profiles or even brand names. A few of the bottles have this peculiar word on the label: Islay Single Malt. Sounds interesting, he thinks. He proudly slaps down the cash, the store clerk asks him “are you sure?” The newbie is not quite sure what he means by this, but he drives home in anticipation. After pouring a glass he shoves his nose in and takes it in….
Peat bog. Industrial smoke and oil. Vegetal peat reek and medicinal notes of iodine and bandaides. Campfire smoke and wet gasoline soaked rope. Maybe a slight sweet note if your lucky but most likely pungent moss and musty oak. Folks, welcome to the weather worn Scottish island called Islay. — Spokane Whisky Club
The distillery is well known for its Legendary No 1 Vaults. It is the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland and the only one that is below sea level. The spirits are filled into used casks (e.g. sherry, american bourbon etc) and then stored until bottling. It is during this process that the whisky gains its character.
Side note: Some people might disagree with that last statement. To be clear, whether the whisky is defined by the maturation process of aging in the barrel or through the distillation and fermentation process is somewhat synonymous to the nature versus nurture argument. The “nature” segment is the ingredients and the distillation & fermentation process, while the “nurture” comes from the casks. So, the answer is that there is no answer la.
Bowmore Distillery has stood in exactly the same position, on the shores of Loch Indaal – a sea loch opening out into the Atlantic Ocean – since 1779.
Little has changed in the way we produce our exceptional Single Malt either. Bowmore is one of only a very few distilleries anywhere that still produce their own floor malted barley. This is still laboriously hand-turned by our dedicated team of Maltmen, using traditional wooden malt shovels, just as our predecessors did all those year ago So too, we continue to draw our water from the Laggan River. No ordinary H2O, this precious liquid is enriched with rich peaty overtones; the same Islay peat that fires our malt drying kiln.Bowmore Distillery’s proximity to the sea plays a vital role in determining the final character of our spirit. Indeed, Bowmore’s No. 1 Vaults – the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland – couldn’t be much closer to the sea; its north-west facing walls take a constant pounding from the Atlantic’s waves. It’s here that most of our whiskies spend their long lives maturing in specially selected oak casks, gradually developing their unique rich yet mellow flavours.
Bowmore 12 YO
Colour: Warm amber.
Nose: Subtle lemon and honey, balanced beautifully by Bowmore’s trademark peaty smokiness.
Taste: Vanilla, sweet and delicious heather honey and gentle peat smoke.
Finish: Long, mellow finish with some late lemon zest to cleanse off and balance the palate.
The Bowmore 12-Year-Old has received much critical acclaim. The late, great whisky writer Michael Jackson proclaimed it “remarkably long and complex”. It was awarded the Gold Medal in the “Scotch Single Malt–Islay” category at the International Wine and Spirits Competition 2013, and the Gold Medal in the “Single Malt Scotch –to 12 Yrs” category at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2013.
Complex yet perfectly balanced, the Bowmore 12-Year-Old reflects the raw essence of Bowmore — thrashing waves, windswept landscapes and generations of tradition. As its maturation is predominantly in American bourbon casks, it has some sweet vanilla notes.
The juxtaposition of these sweet vanilla notes with Bowmore’s trademark peaty smokiness creates a fantastically well balanced drinking experience.
Try some smoked salmon or oysters with a little little fresh lemon and a generous measure of Bowmore 12-Year-Old to see for yourself just how perfectly they complement each other.
Alternatively, for a little bit of local flavour, have a char kuey teow with it. My current favourite is the Ghim Moh Char Kuey Teow. Maybe it’s the sinking feeling in your heart when you hear the person in front of you order 5 plates that makes the food smell irresistible. Either that or the fact that you queue for so damned long as the uncle cooks the noodle plate by plate that makes it taste so damned good when you finally bring your dapao-ed kuey teow home.
Nevertheless, a good excuse to start drinking early ☺
Some other reviews of the Bowmore 12
- Bowmore website
- Scotch Noob
- Jason Scotch Reviews
- The Rum Howler Blog
