Bowmore 25 Year Old 1994 Adelphi

Adelphi, the independent bottler who has recently also released its very first single malt – Ardnamurchan – bottled this old Bowmore. It’s a refill sherry cask that was filled in 1994 and then matured for a quarter century, yielding just shy of 500 bottles at just over 54% with a color that already makes me smile.

Ah, a dark and sweet nose with all kinds of dried fruit on a bed of candied syrup, toasted oak, cuberdons and farmer’s butter. Even the hint of sulfur at the beginning cannot detract from the goodness. Is there something like ‘good sulfur’? I believe so. For it works in this case. Ashes in the back. This is quite complex.

It’s more of the same on the palate. Creamy butter with a pinch of salt precedes the dark and sweet dried fruit. The smoke develops nicely and the wood delivers some bitter tannins, giving the whole both depth and balance.

The finish starts off sweet, becomes salty and finally leaves your mouth both warm and dry.

Stunning, but I do need a glass of water now. 335 EUR is not cheap for this Bowmore, but what a dram!

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