Bowmore 10 Year Old 1999 Smoking Buffalo

This Bowmore cask, number 357, was chosen by two Belgian whisky retailers, to celebrate the Cup Final 2010 of Belgian football. You will find it in many a cabinet of Belgian whiskylovers and fans of KAA Gent (my hometown football team). I secured bottle 45 of the 322.

Tasting this one blind, I would never have guessed this was a Bowmore. The oh-so-delicate nose reveals barely a whiff of peat, but shows a lot of honey and even white chocolate and violets, as well as some citrus. I'm salivating.

It has a wonderful, creamy, mouthfeel. The honey returns on the palate, surrounded with some lavender. It reminds me a bit of that purple 'gummy' candy (not wine gums, but something like it). Luckily, it never gets soapy. The whiff of peat is now somewhat more outspoken, as well as cloves. Feisty.

The finish is long on citrus and white pepper.

This Smoking Buffalo (Buffalo being the nickname of the Ghent football team) is no longer available, unfortunately, unless you visit some of the pubs and restaurants surrounding the stadium that still serve it.

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