NV Bowmore - Mizunara Cask Finish (53.9%)
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Tasting notes
It's only right that the first single malt scotch given a period of time (3 years in this case) in Japanese oak ( mizunara ) casks is from Beam Suntory-owned Bowmore. It's a fascinating mix of the vanilla, spice, and incense notes of mizunara and Bowmore's distillery characteristics. You get rich peat, black pepper, apricot, and peach all playing alongside each other. The palate is clean and lighter than the nose suggests, with a fresh zestiness before the smoke leans back in.
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Average Score
Jim Murray, Whisky Bible
Whisky Advocate
More reviews and scores
<strong>On the eye</strong>: Warm amber.<br><br><strong>Breathe in</strong>: Spicy, mellow sweetness carried on a fresh ocean breeze.<br><br><strong>Sip</strong>: Sweet vanilla, cedar wood, exotic mango and honey rose blossom.<br><br><strong>Savour</strong>: Floral spice and fragrant smoke.
Nose: a very different Bowmore nose: unique, in fact. Curious mix of rose petal and bubblegum, lightly coated with soft phenol; gun smoke with a metallic edge. Taste: a tight delivery. Hard, crisp, unyielding and biting on the palate. Much more spice and oomph than the sleep nose warns of. Finish: dry sooty cocoa with an assertive spice burn. Balance: a Bowmore like no other: not always happy in its own skin, but when it relaxes towards the finish, it positively pulses its Islay credentials. 53.9%. 2,000 bottles.
About the producer
Bowmore was one of the first distilleries to be granted a license on Islay and remains one of the Hebridean island’s most iconic whisky producers.