29/11/2025 Bowmore

Bowmore 12yo (43%, OB, b.1990s): nose: thirty years later, it still procures a warm, reassuring feeling that is somehow so familiar. Immediately, it is a pleasant fireplace and a leather sofa somewhere outside of which the weather is dreary. It is grey, drizzly and windy, today, so this is particularly spot on. A cat is slumbering near the log stack that is ready to fuel the fire. A deeper sniff helps one figure out that we are not far from the sea: this has iodine and minute sea spray. It also has lichens scraped off sea rocks. Suddenly, it gains a bolder smoke note, as if someone had thrown a log on the fire and that had forced the smoke to find new ways of escaping. The second nose may have timid aromatic herbs, such as thyme or oregano. Smoked crusty bread rises steadily, as do remote mint leaves, which is nice. Mouth: mellow, as if coated in honey. All the same, if kept on the tongue for long enough, it shows more wood, embers and gentle smoke. It also pops a bubble of strawberry-flavoured gum that becomes more obvious when chewing. Yes, despite the wood smoke that is part of its character, this one does not do a good job of hiding a certain fruity sweetness. Chewing some more gives an inflatable party balloon and a few shards of cassia bark, both of which point at a soft bitterness. The second sip appears thinner. It takes chewing again to restore the pleasure of the first sip, really.  At 43%, one gets over the modest alcohol bite quickly and becomes accustomed at no cost. We may well find peppery Mokatine, after a moment. Finish: powerful to an extent, it also seems weak from another angle. We have wood embers and white ash, yet also residue from the bottom of an empty vase. The latter gives a vegetal touch in an evaporated setting that makes the whole feel weaker. It is by no means weak, nor is it under strength -- it is hard to describe. Anyway, embers and sphagnum moss go hand in hand, virtually blocking any honey from emerging, now. The second gulp definitely peddles Mokatine sweets, yet also a minuscule drop of shampoo. Although easily overlooked for some, others may find it more offensive. It dies with lingering mosses and lichens, dried to a crisp and clinging on for dear life to the sides of an empty vase. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)