1 | Spirits | Scotland, 1964

Deep gold color. Surprisingly lively for its age on the nose. A complex array of fruit (tangerine, sultana, pink grapefruit, papaya and the general overall citrus DNA that you’ll find in old Bowmores), with balancing notes of honey and vanilla. A hint of damp smoke and coconut. Just like with Black Bowmore, this is a texturally soothing whisky on the palate, which continues to evolve in waves—first the sweet honey, coating vanilla and lively fruit, then turning quite visceral, with juicy oak, damp earth, deep peat smoke, and charcoal, followed by another wave of fruit (this time dried fruit), finishing off with subtle charred oak and roasted nuts. This whisky is better than White Bowmore and it falls just short of Black Bowmore (which I rated 97) because it’s just a bit softer, less vibrant on the palate.

I like this Bowmore better than all the previous bourbon oak-aged, ultra-mature Bowmore whiskies that have been released over the past fifteen years. (There have been several.) The oak is always present, but not dominant. And the whisky really evolves on the palate, just like the Black Bowmore releases. This emphasis here is on fruit, bright fruit: peach, tangerine, mango, ripe melon, and pineapple. There’s a soft, gentle side to the whisky too, enhanced by sweeter notes of pancake syrup, orange creamsickle and white chocolate. Heavy oak notes emerge, along with teasing, earthy smoke, to give the whisky depth and bottom notes. The smoke and oak linger long on the finish. Very contemplative. In short, an outstanding whisky, but not quite reaching the excellence of Black Bowmore.

The legend is back! The Bowmore Black bottlings are widely considered some of the best older whiskies ever bottled!