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WHISKY REVIEWS, NEWS, HISTORY & FOLKLORE

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My Bowmore Relationship Status: It’s Complicated

Perhaps I should begin with a declaration. I adore Bowmore Distillery. Back when I was taking my initial tentative steps into the world of whisky, Bowmore’s 12-year-old was something of a favourite and the distillery was the first I visited when I first set foot on the island back in 2014. It remains a favourite stop today. I’ve always found the people at the distillery to be especially warm and friendly and the tasting bar, which overlooks Loch Indaal, is a lovely spot to enjoy a dram or two. Then there’s the experience of sipping whisky in the famous No 1 Vaults, something every whisky lover should do, at least once.

That said, my relationship with Bowmore as a brand has occasionally been somewhat strained over the years. My issue doesn’t lie with the distillery itself – it’s always been my impression that the people working there take great pride in the place but there is perhaps a feeling that decisions taken further up the chain aren’t always to the benefit of the product that makes it to the shelf.

Bowmore is owned by Suntory and it is they who truly shape the product, which is only natural – the owners have a particular market in mind and tailor the product accordingly. If the market craves heavily sherried, low strength whisky, then that’s what Bowmore will be. In the great scheme of things, we whisky geeks, who seek out higher strength, naturally coloured whiskies, simply aren’t much of a priority. I accept this as the way of things but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Bowmore is a fantastic spirit and its single malt can be as good as anything in Scotland when presented at its best. I suppose, there’s a feeling of a missed opportunity. Of wasted potential.

Suntory seem to feel Bowmore works best in big, smothering, sherry casks but while I’ve certainly had some exceptional sherry matured drams from the distillery, I actually feel it presents as a far more complex and nuanced dram when matured in bourbon. Bowmore in ex-bourbon, or even in refill casks, is another beast entirely. It’s salty and briny, notes which too often seem lost under sherry. The smoke seems to dial up in intensity and you find layer upon layer of tropical fruits.

Perhaps that briny, smoky malt wouldn’t fit the luxury profile quite so well. After all, a rough and ready coastal malt doesn’t exactly stand out as an obvious partner for Aston Martin. Though I find myself asking: why should it? Go and stand on the sand by Loch Indaal and look towards the looming black letters on the wall of the No. 1 Vaults. Feel the Atlantic wind and sea spray on your face and breathe the peat smoke that rises from the kiln and ask yourself if this place has an obvious connection to a luxury car that’s made in Warwickshire.

Quite frankly, I wish Scotch whisky producers would stop this nonsense. Stop using the product of this country’s heritage to try to sell some bullshit luxury lifestyle. Why does Bowmore need the Aston Martin name to sell itself? When more and more customers seek out transparency and provenance, why isn’t it enough that this is a single malt Scotch whisky from the oldest distillery in Islay? It has nothing to do with cars, or watches or whatever other elitist twattery the marketing mob can contrive.

I hunger for the day we get back to basics with Bowmore. I hope against hope that Suntory will get around the drawing board to create a new selection of expressions that showcase the full range of this beautiful distillery. Let’s explore the Bowmore Single Malt in a variety of casks, presented at a variety of strengths with price tags that people can actually afford to drink. Continue with the collector market nonsense if you must, but give us some regularly available drams at 46% or above, matured in bourbon, with all the spirit’s island character on show. Give us the real Bowmore; the real spirit of Islay, not this neutered, synthetically-coloured imposter that’s desperately (and cheaply) throwing itself at people with more money than sense. Or taste.

The Whisky

This Aston Martin 10-year-old is a Travel Retail exclusive. It is, of course, bottled at 40%.

Smell: Dried fruits. Peat smoke. Leather. Some oak. Lemon. Vanilla. Toffee. Red apples. Cherry. The smoke is very subtle. Wee bit of charcoal. Sultanas and currants.

Taste: Dry oaky arrival, followed by a load of sherry – raisins, sultanas, syrup, black peppery spice seeps in around the mid-palate. Orange liqueurs. The orangey note lingers on into the finish too.

Thoughts: The dram has the typical abundance of sherry but on the nose there’s a fresher side trying to get out. Perhaps a sign that there was some refill casks in the recipe. I find the lack of smoke a wee bit frustrating – this is the second Aston Martin release I’ve reviewed (you can read about the 22 here) and with both of them I found the smoke to be very subdued. To me that suggests Suntory are trying to smooth out Bowmore’s character to please the luxury car crew but if you need to tone down your unique personality in order to fit in with the audience of the luxury brand you’re partnering with, it probably wasn’t the right partner for you in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, the smoke is there, and I know Bowmore is often more refined than some of its neighbours but this feels, muted. Dulled, even. On the positive side, there’s a decent weight to the liquid considering its low strength and the sherry notes linger nicely. It doesn’t lack flavour, though the palate feels more one-dimensionally sherry than the nose. As with so much of the Bowmore output, it’s pleasant enough but feels like it only flirts with the spirit’s full potential.

Price: £45 (1 litre bottle). You can’t argue with the price and in the sea of mediocrity that is Travel Retail, this actually might be one of the better options. It’s just that Bowmore could be so, so much better.

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