Beautiful Whisky
This is a beautiful whisky. Full, ripe and round with orange, marmalede and hints of smoke. A long finish. Very well balanced. Those critical of this malt don't know a fine whisky or just nicpicking.
Master of Malt Customer Jun 13, 2015
Still my favorite.
Surprised that no-one has reviewed the B18 in several months. It was the first Islay that I ever tried several years ago and is still my favorite, though the Lagavulin 16 and Ardbeg Uigeadail are mighty fine! The balance with the B18 is simply incomparable. Maybe perfect, though I'm still hoping to find that magical dram that stands head and shoulders above the rest. I really enjoy reading the negative reviews (for any whisky). Very entertaining. Hard to imagine that we are tasting the same whisky. Also, the B17 is still offered in duty-free shops in airports around the world. Not sure if it the same item as lamented below, but it is great too.
Dennis Williams Apr 16, 2015
Mit Farbstoff zur. gewährleistung der Farbgebung
So steht es--vermutlich um Vorschriften in der EU zu erfuellen--nur auf der Flasche, aber nicht auf der Box. Wieviel % steht allerdings nicht. Also Likeur?? Willi Mueller
Willi Mueller Dec 27, 2014
Good, but the one it replaces was better, still
I've had a couple of bottles of the old Bowmore 17 this new 18 replaces. I like some peat, but there has to be enough other things going on, too. That's what the Bowmore 17 did... brilliantly. If you like a strongly peated malt, you'll probably prefer the replacement over the 17ywill . Me, however, I'm sad to see the old 17 go. Now, to be clear, this 18y is still a very, very well balanced whisky, but to me, the 17 was sort of a benchmark. There were very little drams that could match the price/quality ratio of the old bottling. Time to look for a new benchmark?
Some notes (it's been ~24 hours, it's as I recall the notes I made):
On the nose, the spirit is very gentle at first: some lemon zest, or rather orange zest, quickly followed by the typical iodine, peat (not as much as I had anticipated, though) and vanilla. Something else, rather refreshing, and surprizing I found was pear.
Take a sip and at first (like half a second or so) there's no hint of peat. Just a load of fruits pop into your head: peach, mango, black-current even some raspberry and at one point, I thought I got some banana, too.
These fruits are then overcast with smokey, toffee and dark chocolate, along with vanilla. I wouldn't be surprized to learn that for this particular batch, they cracked open a cask of age 20+
After a couple of minutes, comes the point I looked forwared to the most. The old 17 had this really strong floral note (some notes on-line mention "blossom", others call it "soapy"). To me, it tastes of "Love-in-idleness" (viola/violettes), the flowers. The dark chocolate aroma subsides a bit, and becomes sweeter. The mouth-feel is silky smooth and warm, but again here: there's a really refreshing taste, too (lemon again?)
Other things I remember jotting down (I may have scratched them out seconds later) were: black pepper, white chocolate mouse (oily, egg yolk, lots of sugar => sticky sweetness), ginger, smoked meat/BBQ
Now, the initial question was: time to look for a new bench-mark?
Sort of: amoungst the island whiskies, the Bowmore 18 (and the Lagavulin 16) still reign supreme within their price brackets. On the scottish mainland, though, the Highland Park 18, and the surprizingly charming The Glenlivet Nadurra and Glenfarclass 105 are just too much.
Where the Bowmore 17 may have been less well balanced, it had this distinct character that made it stand out and feel like a very special drink. The bowmore 18 feels just too balanced. It's like a Buddhist Monk: you can't argue with them. They're at peace, balanced. I'd rather go into an argument with someone a little less perfect...
Master of Malt Customer Oct 9, 2013
