05/02/2021 Bowmore

Bowmore 12yo 2001/2013 (58.5%, Blackadder Raw Cask, Oak Hogshead, C#20063, 312b, b#21): nose: dirty, tarry earth and mud, almost bathing in hydrocarbons. Beside that is a definite waxiness that makes me think of beauty products (soap, makeup, nail varnish). That quickly takes a back seat, though, leaving freshly-laid tarmac, roofing bitumen, and, finally, earthy peat. There may be traces of figs, fallen into the mud under the tree, too. The second nose is more welcoming, with cake crust, left in the oven a little too long, ploughed fields, after a few dry days, fruit skins, completely dried up. Perhaps, one will spot a hint of sand after a black tide too. Mouth: initially sharp, drying and stripping, in an industrial-fluid sort of way, it soon regains composure and lets out tarmac and acrid peat and diesel smokes, yet also a subtle layer of dried fruit (dried figs, dried dates). Suddenly, in the far back, and well hidden behind the petrolic onslaught, fresh tropical fruits poke their little heads out, mango and, especially, maracuja, as if shipped to these shores in an oil tanker full of crude. It has a good dose of chopped green chilli too -- this feels pretty strong. Finish: never-ending, warming and petrolic again, it has all the markers of kerosene, sticky tar and bitumen. It takes a couple of sips for the fruity notes to re-appear, and they do not disappoint: shy maracuja, acidic and tropical, and smoked mango skins, dried to parchment. It remains a petrolic affair, though, augmented with roasted aniseed for good measure. Char-grilled pineapple peels, a mix of sub-bituminous coal, graphite, pencil lead and, ever-present, bitumen. Roar! 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, Cavalier66)