Bowmore 23 Year Old 1989 Port Cask Matured

This new Limited Edition (is that not a misnomer with no less than twelve thousand bottles?) matured for 23 long years on port casks. It was distilled in the year Suntory got its first shares in this Islay distillery (the majority of shares and hence control would follow a few years later). Another gem that I brought home from a whisky festival.

Oh, yeah! A fantastic nose on candied fruit (mostly blood oranges), rhubarb, plums and organic chocolate. Candied sugar and a hint of espresso. Red fruit signs in. Think strawberries and a bit of cranberry. Nut oil. All this under a blanket of wonderful smoke. This is absolute top!

On the palate, it is mouth coating, softly spices on pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon with a wonderful fruitiness that is not overpowered by the sturdy smoke. Au contraire. The smoke allows the fruit enough room to play around the taste buds and create a juicy whisky. Red fruit, but mostly blood oranges. A touch flowery (hey, this is eighties Bowmore after all), but luckily not soapy. A bit of top notch heather honey makes it almost perfect.

The finish is long, smoky and very juicy.

Wow, what a wonderful Bowmore. Pity about the price tag, though. Around 475 EUR. Doh!

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