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Bowmore 15 Year Old - Darkest

Very Nice

0 488

@MaltActivistReview by @MaltActivist

18th Apr 2014

0

Bowmore 15 Year Old - Darkest
  • Nose
    22
  • Taste
    22
  • Finish
    22
  • Balance
    22
  • Overall
    88

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

I initially had a rocky relationship with this distillery, having sampled some less than stellar expressions earlier on in my quest as a malt enthusiast. Luckily @TrailingTheMalt, who has an obsession with this single malt, insisted I keep trying.

Good call.

This 15 year old was finished in Oloroso sherry for three years after spending the first twelve in bourbon barrels.

Nose: Quite dry like autumn potpourri and crushed leaves. The strong Oloroso sherry is remarkably balanced with a nice dark chocolate and treacle mix. Red wild berries covered in black salt are next followed by a nice woody vanilla and rustic raisins.

Palate: Medium bodied delivery which at first sip seems a bit weak but gathers steam as your palate plays with it. Fresh red berries on dark salt strewn over a plank of cedar cinnamon vanilla. Finally tasty autumn fruits with a touch of peaty smoke.

Finish: Medium long with slightly drying clove.

This is a solid malt which one can drink without being too overwhelmed. And I mean that in a good way.

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4 comments

@Victor
Victor commented

@tabarakRazvi, thanks for your very nice review.

This Bowmore Darkest really divides people. It also seems that the batches have varied a lot over the years from some reports. My experiences with Bowmore Darkest has been much the same as yours, and my rating of it and observations (probably with differently styled discriptors) about it would be similar, as well.

10 years ago 0

@MaltActivist
MaltActivist commented

@Victor Yes, I know. I read a few not so stellar reviews about this one before I decided to sample it. But it seems I stumbled upon a decent batch. Actually it was from a mini so maybe it was from one of the earlier batches? I really don't know for sure since there was not a lot of information on the box.

Any info on how and when they release the minis?

10 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

No, useful information about minis is something I've found scarce, at best. On average I am more susupicious about the quality of minis than I am about the quality of the whisky in the large bottles. Minis have surprised me to the good, also, though, so you never know.

What I've had and liked of Bowmore Darkest has been from full-sized bottles from the last 2 or 3 years.

10 years ago 0

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

I agree about the paucity of information on miniatures. Part of it is that there is less room.

The Amrut Miniatures I have (Cask Strength and Fusion) do indeed have both batch information and year of bottling. Very refreshing. And the CS I opened was very good, so it seems the quality of the product in the miniatures is good too.

As for the darkest, I too tasted it from a miniature. I wouldn't buy a full size. The Laimrig is much more enjoyable in my opinion.

10 years ago 0