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Bowmore 12 Year Old Reviews
- Distillery
- Bowmore
- Style
- Single Malt
- Release
- Unspecified
- Age
- 12 Years
- Alcohol
- 40% abv.
- Region
- Scotland, Islay
- Bottled For
- Distillery
- Buy Now $44.99 WineChateau.com
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Established in 1779, Bowmore Distillery is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and nestles on the shores of Loch Indaal on the Inner Hebridean Isle of Islay. Bowmore is universally regarded as the best balanced of all the Islay malts, as characterised by its wonderfully rich and complex flavours.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- gold
- Nose
- smoky peat and fruit
- Body
- thick and oily
- Palate
- peaty & salty
- Finish
- long, complex, yet smooth
You will enjoy this one!
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Frombeyond
- Color
- light color
- Nose
- peaty and smokey, but also dissapears and is quite multidimesional
- Body
- medium body
- Palate
- Earthy and lemony. Restrained and very interesting. Chocolate and sweet to.
- Finish
- nice long finish
I like this malt its kind of bordeaux like in it's restraint and has a nice earthy character, Not over the top like laphroaig.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- medium amber
- Nose
- Salt, some smoke and sardine
- Body
- smooth
- Palate
- If some whiskies are well-balanced, this is dissonant, in a very good way. You detect distinct flavors of salt, iodine, citrus, and of course, peat.
- Finish
- Strong finish, a little spicey.
The word I think of is "deconstructionist." One of my favorites.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- medium amber
- Nose
- smoke, coal, aok
- Body
- smooth and oily
- Palate
- mushroom, tar, peat, oak
- Finish
- smooth and disappearing
very impressive and works perfectly with a nice Romeo y Julieta No2
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Rowey
- Color
- Amber
- Nose
- Smoke, peat, vanilla and a hint of sea air.
- Body
- Soft and oily.
- Palate
- Smokey and peaty, charred wood, sea-salt, vanilla-honey notes. Very controlled and smooth.
- Finish
- Long smokey finish with some clove and a hint of sweetness at the end.
An excellent introduction to Islay malts.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Pale Honey
- Nose
- Pleasant, easy smell. Light smoke, hint of peat, but unlike Laphroaig, no salt.
- Body
- Fluid, light, smooth
- Palate
- Very slight sting of alcohol, molasses, soft smoke. Mild.
- Finish
- Again, smooth and light, but with very nice flavors. Graham cracker & fireplace.
A lot of nice flavors without being overpowering. A nice intro to Islay, that won't explode your face like a Laphroaig. Happily for me, does not have the nasty taste of sherry like Macallan.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Light Amber
- Nose
- Sea Salt, Smoky and Woody.
- Body
- Oily
- Palate
- Hint of honey, Charred wood and smoke, Dark Chocolate, Sweet and bitter.
- Finish
- Starts strong,long and smoky. Ends with a smooth chocolate coffee finish.
A great whisky for the price !
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Wilderthanyou2367
- Color
- honey
- Nose
- peat, heavy smoke, camp fire, medicine.
- Body
- slick.
- Palate
- Peat, smokey, some oak/vanilla, a touch of honey.
- Finish
- Long and complex, very even beat to this whiskey.
Cracked this on my birthday. Isley's are not my particular favorite, but this one was particularly enjoyable. A very even beat to the flavours.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Jorrit
- Color
- Light, gold, honey
- Nose
- light saltiness along with smoke and after a short while some hints of herbs and a sweet (toffee-like) undertone.
- Body
- Oily but still smooth
- Palate
- At first peat and salt, later on some sweet hints (dark chocolate, toffee and a little bit lemon)
- Finish
- Warm and long. Nice and well balanced. From peat and saltiness to more subtle flavours (chocolate, herbs/spices)
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Wtl.base
- Color
- Caramel.
- Nose
- Moderate peat and smoke, grapefruit, dark chocolate, Assam tea. Wet oak. Some faint floral notes too. Full of character, but needs time. I love the smoke, it is elusive but very distinct.
- Body
- Thin, lightly oily.
- Palate
- Dry, a bit sour and tangy. Lean malt. Some peat. The nose is still lurking in the background but in a veiled dulled-down form.
- Finish
- Medium, dry.
The nose is distinct and very inviting, but the lacklustre palate suddenly makes everything toned down, and the finish doesn't quite save the show. I always enjoy this dram but I can't help the feeling it should have been much better. Would love to try this bottled at a higher strength and with no chill filtration.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Flipper_gv
- Color
- Light gold
- Nose
- SMOKE!!! Some nice malty sweetness like light honey mixed with sweet fruits like pears too. Some peat. Some very light salt
- Body
- Medium body. Oily and very smooth.
- Palate
- Starts off with some salt (light) and peat. Then goes with the sweetness described (fruits being only very light in the taste) with honey and malty sweet tastes. A bit of spice
- Finish
- Long, smooth, mostly oak and tons of smoke, as expected. Gets sweeter at the end.
Very good whisky for the price. Most of the flavors are distinct, giving it a multidimensional aspect.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Amber
- Palate
- Cough-syrup
I'm not an expert. I've thoroughly enjoyed Macallan's 12, Glenlivet's 15, Balvenie's Double 12, Glenrothes' 21, and Glenfiddich's 30. I did not enjoy this. It has a distinct cough-syrup aftertaste. Sorry if I'm offending anyone.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- light gold
- Nose
- smoke with some peat very distant light fruit
- Body
- thin and oil
- Palate
- peat smoke tiny hint of salt, spice, nice and peppery
- Finish
- long though not very complex but definatly islay
a decent scotch for the price, though it could have more depth
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Eye-lah Guy
- Color
- Golden amber in the glass
- Nose
- Faint peat and barrel wood
- Body
- Light
- Palate
- Oak char and grains with too subtle peat for an Islay; only a decent balance
- Finish
- Finish of oak char is too one-sided
A disappoint considering it's region and reputation, an Islay that stays straight down the middle of the road to me is not an Islay.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Winemaker
- Color
- golden amber
- Nose
- iodine, charcoal at first, then clove, cinnamon, and butterscotch come through
- Body
- Moderately thick and viscous,
- Palate
- Much more buttery sweetness than the peaty nose would suggest, delicious
- Finish
- Cinnamon and caramel, nice sweetness and smoothness. Not as long as some other whiskies, but very little bitterness. Quite polished.
Quite similar to the Laphroaig 10, but with less peat and oak. Not nearly as interesting as the Ardbeg 10, but with more sugar and butterscotch. This is a solid and smooth whisky, and is perhaps more approachable for those who don't like a peat bomb.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Medium amber
- Nose
- Lots of smoke, mild peat.
- Body
- Very, very smooth. When I first picked up the bottle, it was very smokey indeed. Now I definitely taste some peat.
- Palate
- Peat and smoke--maybe a touch of grass.
- Finish
- Medium finish. Warm and pleasant. I would have no qualms about picking up another bottle!
My absolute favorite whiskey (admittedly I haven't tried all that many--maybe thirty or so, including blended scotch)!
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Honey gold
- Nose
- Iodine, peat, smoke, tinge of orange peel.
- Body
- Oily and creamy.
- Palate
- Peat at first then reveals vanilla, dark chocolate and sea salt reminiscent of salted taffey.
- Finish
- Smooth at first then oak tannins provide a slight bitterness in the end.
Not overly complex but whats there is smooth and pleasing. Highland park introduced me to the pleasures of peat and this takes it up a notch. At this price a good introduction to Islay.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Aussie Malt
- Color
- Soft gold
- Nose
- A cold winter's night, the soft smoke slowly rising up off the fire to dance with the thick rolling fog entering through an open window. Fruit jam being made in the kitchen nearby.
- Body
- Viscous and slightly oily
- Palate
- The open window carries in the soft salty sea-air. Smooth honey and subtle fruit flavours as you add some oak to the fire.
- Finish
- Long and changing. The smoke clears as the open window delivers a breath of fresh air allowing you to savour the warm cocoa with cloves and cinnamon.
Fog rolling in through an open window on a cold winter's night as you ponder by the open fire.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Steven Burvenich
- Color
- gold, light amber
- Nose
- Sea, Islay salt, peat, grass, hint of the partial sherry casking.
- Body
- diluted oil, in between
- Palate
- slight peat, grassy sea salt, waves of citrus and Liqourice
- Finish
- again waves between citrus and sweet liquorice. Quite long, Islay.
This was my first main stay. An excellent introduction into Islay. A real Bowmore. Balanced between peat and fruit. Buying a Legend or Surf is a lught. This one is but a couple of bucks more, yet a landscape higher quality and depth.
Bowmore 12 Year Old
Review by Anonymous
- Color
- Light billy bee honey
- Nose
- Very sweet and you can't miss the peat although not as pronouced as other Islays. Apple, pear and caramel vanilla notes
- Body
- Somewhat creamy at first but very brief.
- Palate
- mild sea salt, toffee and dark chocolate notes then followed by an earthyness almost dirt like quality.
- Finish
- Rather abruptly. There's a slightly bitter, earthy, peppery tanic finnish to this that I can't decide if I like or not. Comes on a little too early for my liking.
This is my second review of this whiskey. Subsequent tastings have revealed an underlying earthyness on the palate I didn't detect initially. A little schizophrenic in my opinion. Starts sweet and creamy and ends dry and peppery. Still an interesting weekday dram for the price.