Bowmore 20 Year Old 1990 The Prestonfield for LMdW

This Bowmore, named after The Prestonfield House – a prestigious hotel in Edinburgh that was once run by Signatory owner Andrew Symington – was bottled for the French La Maison du Whisky. It is in fact the most luxurious 5 star hotel in the Scottish capital, built in 1687. It has 23 rooms and among the famous patrons that have stayed there in the last 300 years is Benjamin Franklin. Anyway, back to the whisky at hand…

Mildly flora land surprisingly umami nose, this Bowmore. Olive oil, fish oil, lemon oil. But also a wet sock from a gym bag… totally devoid of any sweetness bar a hint of almonds. Smoked and cooked ham. Stockfish. Walnuts. Wet clay. Bit of peat. Not as accessible as I would have hoped.

Ah, that’s more like it. On the palate it is brackish and sweet at the same time. Loads of citrus with the emphasis on grapefruit. Some vanilla, but also violets. Licquorice allsorts. It is quite creamy, actually. Nice body. A bit smoky. This brings a smile to my face.

Medium long finish that continues on the licquorice and citrus. Some zestiness at the death. The smoke fades very gently.

Do not let that nose fool you. On the palate, this is a marvelous Bowmore at perfect drinking strength. Something to sip slowly while discovering the new series of The X-Files. The whisky is better.

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