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Bowmore 15 Year Old 1998 Chester Whisky

Bittersweet

0 288

@markjedi1Review by @markjedi1

11th May 2013

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  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Balance
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  • Overall
    88

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This relatively young Bowmore is the first outing to Isaly from the English Chester Whisky & Liqueur Company. The bourbon hogshead yielded 242 bottles of a very pale dram. Did you know, by the way, that the Chester releases are in fact distributed in Belgium by Dominiek Bouckaert? Then it has to be good, right? Dominiek is also the man behind The Whiskyman and has a lot to do with the releases from Malts of Scotland and Thosop.

The nose is very soft, despite the relatively high ABV. Bittersweet. Loads of citrus, as well as Boskoop apples and gooseberries. Graeffe (light brown) sugar. The peat and medicinal touch are certainly there, but not pushy at all. Imagine yourself on the hay loft of a seaside farm. Hints of ashes.

Quite oily and silky soft. All kinds of citrus (lime, lemon and a slightly bitter pink grapefruit) and soft, sweet vanilla lock heads with the peat and the brine. These now truly claim their place. Evolves from sweet to bittersweet. Some more ashes than on the nose. Very drinkable, no water needed.

The finish is punchy, spicy and long with a dry terminus.

Great Bowmore, no two ways about it. Reminds me of a crossbreed of the Bowmore 2002 for Dramalot and the first Smoking Buffalo, but with more depth and sexy curves.

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2 comments

@DaveM
DaveM commented

Markjedi1 your review of this 15 year old sounds quite a bit like the Bowmore 15 year old Darkest. Other than the strength difference, do these two whiskys match up fairly evenly?

10 years ago 0

@markjedi1
markjedi1 commented

I think the most significant difference (apart from the strength) is the fact that I got a lot of chocolate in the Darkest, which I did not get in this one.

10 years ago 0

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