Hi all,
You may remember me complaining about finding my first ever Bowmore displaying the foul FWP syndrome a few months ago. It was a 30yo Sea Dragon. It was disgusting.
Now, a moment ago (with the finish still lingering on my palate) I had a dram of Bowmore 30yo Sea Dragon from another bottle. And I have to eat my words. It is a beautifully complex, big and powerful whisky, one to be savoured in autumn/winter evenings in front of a fireplace.
The nose: big, complex, not so full of Islaydine as you would expect a Bowmore to be, rather heavy. Distinctive blackcurrant notes, rowan fruits, lavender, candied fruits, dry leaves, rotting, but not unpleasantly so - as if drying in the autumn sun. Some licorice and aniseed, but most of all moss and fern, earthy, damp aromas - as if you were out in the forest picking mushrooms in autumn. Addition of a few drops of water made it fresher and lighter. The leaves are now dry - dreid up in the autumn sun. There is a bonfire smoke there, but the nse seems to lose some of its complexity.
Palate: Surprisingly light, no Islay aggressiveness at all, but the flavours build up slowly and gradually. Fruity, malty sweetness, accompanied after a while by slight, pleasant stinginess of spice. Some floweriness (never tasted heather, but I imagine this will be it). Very warm. Some peppery notes, some nuts (fresh and bitterish). Ripe blackthorn fruit.
Finish: Long and pleasant. Echoes of the aniseed, smoke (did I forget there should be smoke in a Bowmore?) appears at last, some oak and a little bitterness.
A perfect whisky for autumn - with earthy, leafy, ferny and mossy notes. Very complex and elegant, with lots of development on the palate. A whisky to be enjoyed in front of a fireplace, with some good old Dire Straits plaing in the background. Don't know why Dire Straits came to my mind though... "Ride across the River" is playing now, and I find it most appropriate. And so does my wife, who accompanied me in the tasting and helped compile the above tasting notes.
By the way, a sample of the old, foul, FWP-full Bowmore 30yo Sea Dragon was also sampled for comparative reasons, but it still smelt of an old, sweaty lady on public transport. And the palate was flat and unimpressive...
Cheers, Rajmund