Finally managed to crack all the Bowmores that had been on sale between $24.99 and $29.99 in Milwaukee (though I didn't get a 'Dusk'--yet!; lost 7 pounds on Atkins in the interim). It turned out to be a really interesting comparison. In short:
Bowmore 12: is light and clean with a pretty peat finish; a cool, smooth river of peat on a light frame (I think I am repeating myself; at least I'm consistent); it is a fine everyday whisky; a little charmer.
Bowmore 15 (Mariner): is a mellow-packet with odd notes; in some ways sophisticated, in some ways plagued by off-flavors to start, there is a touch off/eccentric palate that takes this whisky perfumy in directions it shouldn't go before the peat starts, very slowly, to settle in on the finish; I've had this for a month or so, and I'm going to wait a couple years before getting this one again, and hopefully it will still cost $29.99.
Bowmore Darkest: This is a tale of two whiskies--a mellow sherry start and an incongruous peat finish; the sherry is not the mind-wrenching individuality of A'Bunadh, it is not the rubbed richness of Macallan, instead it is a bit of a sweet, thin thing that lets you fall asleep until the twinge of Bowmore peat comes along and wakes you up like a splash of lukewarm Islay springwater; for me this is a curiousity of an unintegrated combination of elements; it might impress and intrigue guests as something interesting and classy, but to me it doesn't work--plain, tired sherry and that touch of Bowmore peat at the end are an oddball combination. I've had this open for a couple of weeks and the impressions stay consistent.
Bowmore Dawn: The first sip was horrid--then, everything started making sense; this is a pungent, winey product that starts to suggest problems, problems, problems--but the longer it lingers, and the more you reach for it, the more remarkable it becomes; it certainly has a quality of 'perfume' reminiscent of FWP, and it has the oddity of the initial flavors of the Bowmore Mariner 15 (which I also enjoyed once, but not more than once), and it has the contrast between a pungent start and incoming peat that can make other Bowmores seem unsettling--but somehow this one WORKS; the strong, winey, perfumey start is almost offensive--but it starts to spead across the palate, and BLEND seamlessly with the lingering peat--it is an interesting combination (and at 51.5% there is a kind of tangy almost 'uric acid'-like potency to make it a sea-salty, fish-in-the-face-whallopsy whole); this is a perfumey, almost FWP-ish, wine-pungent "whisky product" that sweeps a smooth wave across the palate. If FWP was ever a problem, here, it (if 'it' is really there) seems like a solution. In this case the understated and odd excesses that make the 15 mellowly flawed, and the Darkest disappointing, make the Dawn boldly and intriguingly potent, broadly sweeping, and fun. In this case, oddly added production elements work to create an intriguingly unctuous monster that doesn't stray far from the hand. It hits the palate brightly, and fades psychedically into a very pretty sunset. It is not "of this world" as such a mixture of salt, fruit, and savory normally would be, in the normal whisky panoply. But in this case, the truly otherworldly combination works poppingly.
(As usual, individual bottlings, palates, and imaginations may vary!!!)
And maybe it will be different after the Dawn has been open for a couple weeks!?!