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.
I’m no scholar nor maker of single malt scotch but I’ve managed to consume my fair share of the finer 1’s and this is by far my worst experience in the 12 yr old or older scotch’s I’ve ever had definitely an aquiared taste
Good but lacks and is boring. Bowmore needs to bring this up to a minimum of 45%. Bowmore continues to hurt themselves by bottling at 40%, The "Light Peat" dominates the cask and spirit influences because of the lack of proof. The nose is beautiful but it falls apart on the palate
Best value of all the Islay Single Malts I have tried! Excellent balance.
What a beautiful whisky. My first Islay and I am really, really pleased with it. The smoke is not overpowering, it is a smooth and well rounded product. No extremes but complex enough to want you to go back to it. I got some sweet notes with first tasting, then saltiness with the second one. The empty glass was smelling earthily, then wet peat into a medicinal/ointment like smell. I am very satisfied with the whole experience.
The Bowmore 12 is a fine scotch whisky, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to beginners. It’s not as smokey as others of the region and it has a very balanced finish. It’s good to drink neat because it isn’t as harsh on the tongue at the beginning as some I’ve had, possibly due to it only being 40%. I keep this whisky available for when friends come over.
