The heart of the Bowmore range, the 12 year old exhibits some beautiful coastal notes with a gentle peat, it is the balance that the floral element presents that makes this a great entry bottling for Bowmore.
Coastal smoke and ash soon make way for bergamot, orange zest, lemon slices and some hay before becoming rather floral, heather smoke now competing with the ash.
Lovely and rounded, honeyed even, initially. Vanilla, perfumed smoke and coastal elements develop. Dark Peat. Blossom, oily sweetness.
Smoky and long. Sea spray, dry grass, a touch of ash and citrus.
Classic stuff and the heart of the Bowmore range. Smoky, fruity, coastal, delicious.
One of the best 12yr malts on the market. Subtle peaty notes in aroma and taste which is ideal for the un-schooled / beginner in islay whisky's. A great first buy. Quality colour for the age and smooth for a peat malt. I compare this to bunnahabhain's 12yr, although the latter is not for the Faint off heart. I give 4 stars five would need it to be stronger on the peat and lasting slightly longer on the palate.
Watery. thin, harsh. $56.99 on sale, $3.00 off for Xmass here in B.C.. I'll stay with entry level McClelland's Islay and $10.00 cheaper. Heavier, smoky, salt air... it is the taste of the Island and more a Sailor's brew. I'm looking for more smoke, salt and smoothness as I get older. Tried them all and go back to the bottom to get any taste at all...and live with the harshness to get the taste and bouquet. It seems the more you age this drink the more it tastes like Canadian Rye. W.V.Williams, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
So much smoke! Not for the faint of heart. Very nice to finish.
I was fortunate enough to get a bottle of this locally for £20 - must have been an error. I reviewed this positively a couple of years ago and this bottle did not disappoint. Ok, so it's not one of the south-of- the-island peaty monsters but the Islay trademark peat is still there - just more subtly - which isn't always a bad thing. It's very smooth and perilously easy to drink and there's a beautiful floral / lavender finish. Well, I think so anyway.
Feels a bit unbalanced on the palate. Fruity and light initially, then smoke takes over, but the finish feels watered-down. I find Caol Ila 12 to be quite a lot better.
