Bowmore 12 (1980's), 1990 Wemyss & 1992 Red Wine [Review #800]

Hi everyone,

What better way to go into 800 Scotch reviews than Bowmore, the supremely hate-able distillery that made some of the best whiskies ever created, then some of the worst and now some of the most mediocre.

The 80’s was a hard time for Bowmore, made worse by the denial of an obvious problem. But thankfully they managed to make some better whiskies into the 90’s.

The problem was dubbed ‘French Whore Perfume’ or FWP by one creative whisky blogger and the name has stuck.

Today I’ve got three from the 80’s and early 90’s.

Bowmore 12 (1980's) 40%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Woah! Very odd, metallic and floral, soapy in the extreme, complex though in its own way, slightly meaty, parma violets (of course), watery perfume, some floral soft smoke.

Taste: Weird, strange mouthfeel I've never had from a whisky before, floral and super FWP, parma violets, bath bombs, lavender and violet, metallic mouthfeel and thin, very thin. No Smoke.

Finish: Medium/Long length. Some floral smoke and spice, weird. Ugh.

Unscoreable! Haha No, it’s just very very odd. Very much the ugly side of FWP.

61/100

 

Bowmore 1990 ‘Earth, Wind, Fire!’ 46%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Tropical, salty with ozone and v Bowmore, quite complexly floral w/ some violet, daffodil and sunflower, darker oakiness but mostly quite bright, lemon peel, aged ham maybe?

Taste: Soft arrival, lemon cake, salty with smoked fish and then amazing chocolate, malt and peat, dark earthiness with some heather, growing oils with more peat.

Finish: Medium length. Very soft finish, mostly about the mouthfeel and oils.

Bottled late 2018 from Wemyss. A little out of balance early/middle of the palate. I’ve tried a few of these older Bowmore’s from Wemyss now and none have lived up to the incredible 1987 ‘Sweet, Peat Posy.’ They just haven’t been as peaty it seems, and therefore haven’t aged as powerfully or as complex.

80/100

 

Bowmore 1992 Red Wine Matured 53.5%

Colour: Amber

Body: Full

Nose: Meaty, muscular and bold. Red wine put out fire, coals and ash and soot, quite powerful, blood orange, cigar, leather, very dark chocolate and espresso. A few florals hidden underneath. Chocolate mousse. Really great meld of red wine and spirit. Dirty in a good way too.

Taste: Soft and sweet, blood orange, chocolate, peaty malt, coals and ash, black pepper, orange liqueur, pretty peaty and intense for Bowmore actually, brown sugar, molasses.

Finish: Short/Medium length. A bust of fruit, then burnt heather and malt and chocolate.

Bottled at 16yo. Good to remind ourselves that they make some of the best whisky in the world occasionally! This whisky not only surprised me but really amazed. I’m not normally a big fan of red wine and peat (or red wine finishes on whisky at all really) because balance is hard to reach, but this one makes it seem easy.

86/100

Thanks for reading!

Updated Distillery Rankings

Scotch Reviews #798-#800

Whisky Network Reviews #950-#952

Network Average: 75.1

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as the Global Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Wemyss The Nectar Grove Review

Hi everyone,

I had the pleasure of meeting Steven of Wemyss Malts recently at a warehouse tasting for our Netherlands distributor, and immediately got a better sense of how Wemyss works and what they do. Essentially, Charlie Maclean finds casks of whisky that then go to a tasting panel that select the single casks and choose the names for them.

But the company isn’t afraid to innovate and experiment, so Steven was given a pretty free hand in creating this edition finished in Madeira casks. He clearly knows what he’s doing, being an ex-SMWS tasting panel member, and packaging-wise this one looks the part too being one of the most eye-catching bottles/boxes. But who cares about packaging (ooooo shiny), how’s it taste?

 

Wemyss The Nectar Grove 46%

Colour: Dark Gold

Body: Light/Medium

Nose: Really fresh, fruity, white grape, a little elastic rubber that comes and goes, but lovely melon, some lemon peel, malt behind, spearmint.

Taste: Soft and silky, vanilla, fresh fruit, melon, lemon and juniper, a little spice grows, green grape.

Finish: Long length. Tingling white pepper, green grape, very fresh.

2x Highland malt whiskies, finished and married in Madeira casks for 8 months then further marriage in refill casks. A real summer whisky. Very pleasant and sippable. This is such a drinkable, outdoor-in-the-sun style of whisky.

75/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #627

Whisky Network Review #745

Network Average: 74.9

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Bunnahabhain 1987 Wemyss 'The Viceroy's Elixir' Review

Hi everyone,

Choo! Choo! Here comes the hype train!

Lots of folks reviewing this one at the moment, and even more giving it a big ol’ thumbs up so I knew to keep an eye out for it.

I’ve been a big fan of Wemyss bottlings, although I’ve only tried a few. The casks are sourced and selected by Charlie MacLean, the monocle wearing whisky encyclopaedia. And to be honest, I don’t think the prices are too bad either, even if most of the stuff is at 46%.

This dram was thanks to the kind people of Maltstock.

 

Bunnahabhain 1987 Wemyss Vicroy's Elixir 46%

Colour: Dark Amber

Body: Full

Nose: What a CASK! Beautiful Sherry, so dark and rich, fig, prune, date, raisin, thick, Christmas pudding, orange, leather, dark chocolate. Complex. Dry oak underneath. Nutty with marzipan, raspberry and black pepper.

Taste: Sweet and full, then recedes, layers and layers of sweetness and complex oak, fig and prune, dry old oak, dunnage and leather, orange, oily, building this nice black pepper. Quite a dry development.

Finish: Long length. Mouthwatering, lots of oak, dry, black pepper really comes through nicely.

A tad too dry but bloody good! The joint best Bunna I’ve tried, the other being the 45yo Port Askaig.

87/100

Distillery: Bunnahabhain

Average Score: 75.3

Distillery Ranking: 32nd

Up/Down: 35th> 32nd (Up 3)

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Review #603

Whisky Network Review #715

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 94

Worst Score: 12

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and I am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and I am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

3x Old Bowmore Reviews: 1994, 1991 & 1989 [From Paris with Love]

Hi everyone,

Today I’ve got some older Bowmore’s.

Bowmore is a variable distillery from the indie’s. The 1980’s being the classic example, but the style can change hugely. This trio exemplify this pretty perfectly.

I tried the 1991 at Whisky Live Paris recently, although I can’t remember the name of the bottler. The other two were from Whisky Exchange Show in London.

Bowmore 1991 Butterfly Label 48.7%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Does Bowmore get MORE peaty as it ages?! Very peaty and mineral, sooty chimney, coal, tar, none of the floral notes I was expecting.

Taste: Sweet start, vanilla, honey, then very peaty for old Bowmore, layers of minerality. Sooty with a little orange.

Finish: Long length. Dry, sooty, some oak. A little tropical fruit right at the end. Mango.

25yo, bottled 2017. An old peaty one but not hugely complex. Seems like the peat is covering up the flavours beneath.

79/100

 

Bowmore 1989 'BBQ Mango Salsa' 46%

Colour: Dark Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Slightly rubbery maltiness, cigarette ash, lots of lemon sponge cake.

Taste: Sweet, malt, orange, spicy ginger, Bowmore's malty smoke, lemon then sooty.

Finish: Long length. Smoke kicks up a notch with more soot and slight florals.

Think this was 26 years old. Not nearly as complex or balanced the 87 Wemyss I had, that you might remember got 92.

78/100

 

Bowmore 1994 Single malts of Scotland 52.8%

Colour: Gold

Body: Full

Nose: An oily, buttery SMWS style, meaty for a Bowmore, also slightly tropical, BBQ and mango. Lovely nose. Slightly Ardbeggian.

Taste: Sweet, tropical, meaty, BBQ ham, pineapple, slightly chalky. A bit of chilli too.

Finish: Medium length. A little spice, oak and chilli.

A really good Bowmore, quite a different style to usual.

83/100

Thanks for reading!

Scotch Reviews #465-#467

Whisky Network Reviews #530-#532

Network Average: 74.3

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 22

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. You can find more on my scoring here. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Wemyss Peat Chimney & Spice King Batch Strength Reviews

Hi everyone,

Back again with another comparison review. This time it’s two blended malts from Wemyss.

These types of regional blended malts have really taken off in the last few years, triggered perhaps by the success of Big Peat and the like. Douglas Laing have since released a load more and Wemyss have followed close behind.

These two are at ‘batch strength,’ technically not cask strength but at a specific strength before they would normally bring them down to 46% I’m guessing. Recently Wemyss dropped the age statements from their blended malt range (BOOOOOOOO…), which saddens me and I think harms these two in particular.

Many, many thanks to Living Room Whisky for the generous swap!! Thanks guys!

Wemyss Spice King Batch Strength 56%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Yeasty, malty and yes, spicy. A little alcohol in the way but red apple, cherry pie!, ginger, white pepper and some singed heather.

Water: More honey and heather but the alcohol reveals this nail varnish remover note, a peaty note develops.

Taste: Soft arrival with sweetness with cherry and apple, quickly developing the spices, ginger, white and black pepper, a little chilli, cardamom, singed heather, cherry pie! (very unique note), slightly doughy esp into the finish.

Water: Softer but the spices still build, more tannic with a lot more oak and black pepper than before. A peaty smoke comes through after a minute.

Finish: Medium/Long length. A little peppery with rising dough then mouth watering red apple.

Batch 1. The cherry pie thing is pretty cool and not a note I’ve found elsewhere but it’s quite closed on the nose and a bit unbalanced on the taste.

71/100

Wemyss Peat Chimney Batch Strength 57%

Colour: Light Gold

Body: Full

Nose: Instantly similar to the Spice King Batch Strength, must be very similar whiskies in the blend. Slightly yeasty, cherry pie and red apple but with a Caol Ila sheen, empty peating room, empty peat kiln, ash and dry oak. Again, alcohol isn't sharp but it's hiding something, nail varnish remover maybe?

Water: Sweeter with much less smoke, there's a slightly earthy note that reminds me of Lagavulin but the nail varnish note is still there a little.

Taste: Soft arrival, building smoke, ash and full on peat, a lot of dry oak, some red apple, more oak comes through, quite tannic, gentle peaty Caol Ila all the way through.

Water: Less smoky, less peat but not more of anything else, actually more red apple and a lovely earthy note into the finish.

Finish: Long length. Tannins recede, leaving some spicy gingery red apple.

Batch 1. Unfortunatley the development is way out of balance without water. I would have guessed a blend of Girvan grain and Caol Ila but it's blended malt. Again the nose is too closed really and this has a nail varnish remover note I’m very sensitive to and also really don’t like. The Caol Ila saves it but it’s all a little too young in my opinion.

67/100

Thanks for reading!

Whisky Reviews #348-#349

Network Average: 74.6

Best Score: 92

Worst Score: 44

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent

Full Disclosure Disclaimer: I currently work as a Brand Ambassador for Penderyn Distillery. The views expressed here are purely my own and do not reflect the views of Penderyn Distillery or The Welsh Whisky Company. I try to maintain as much objectivity as I can but feel free to take my reviews with as big a pinch of salt as you like. Furthermore, my rating scale is NOT based on a Parker type wine scoring scale or a school/college/university % or A-F grade score. I apologise for any seemly low or 'bad' scores given with my system and am sorry I can't say only nice things. Please keep in mind that I am ethically compromised and am unable to produce 100% unbiased reviews.

Why is this here?

Wemyss The Hive Review

This is a series of short reviews from the Bristol Whisky Lounge 2016. A whisky festival that takes place in various cities throughout the UK. Part 1/20

Wemyss The Hive NAS 46%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium

Nose: Honey, some spice, fresh fruit- Apricot.

Taste: Soft, honey, apricot, barley, some spice.

Finish: Long length. Softy spicy.

Notes: Blended malt. Lowland style. A very pleasant whisky.

73/100

Review #101

Bowmore IB's: Bw4, Bw5 & 1987 Wemyss

Hello everyone,

More Bowmore's today and it's going a few IB's (Independent bottlings).

This one is from The Whisky Exchange's line of NASish Islay bottlings. I've had a few of these and they really stole the show (for me) at the Bristol Whisky Lounge last year, especially Lp⁵

According to Whisky Exchange's website, this was distilled in the mid 90's. Making it about 18-20 years old.

Elements of Islay Bw⁴ 51.6%

Colour: Amber

Body: Medium

Nose: Sour fermented fruit up front, peat smoke behind. Plum jam, jam tarts, fig, overripe apricot.

Taste: Sweet smoke, Sherry, more fermenting fruit, lots of cherry stones, blackcurrant and overripe peach.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Some fruity smoke.

This wasn't as good as the Caol Ila (which was very medicinal) or the Laphroaig (very maritime).

74/100

And the newest edition, tasted at Bristol Whisky Lounge 2015:

Bw⁵ 50.2%

Colour: Gold

Body: Medium/Full

Nose: Fruit and smoke, well balanced. Sour citrus, lots of lemon, melon, pineapple, mango, cinnamon.

Taste: Soft arrival, building up, sour citrus, lemon, pear, mango, lovely smoke.

Finish: Short/Medium length. Mango with oak.

Notes: Distilled 1996 or before. Really great balance, only thing holding it back from greatness was the length of the finish for me.

78/100

On the approach to 100 reviews I feel it is appropriate to post the actual 100th whisky I tasted. It was also one of the best whiskies I've ever had.

There are generally three things I look for in an excellent whisky: Complexity, balance and power. Normally the best way to score high for me is to have loads of power with good balance and complexity. But this is the only one I've had that is the other way round: loads of complexity and balance with some power.

Image courtesy of Master of Malt

Bowmore 1987 Wemyss 'Sweet Peat Posy' 46%

Colour: Straw

Body: Full

Nose: Big and very complex. A good blast of peat, even at this age. There's also lots of fruit, citrus and floral notes. Lemon, lemon cake, lots of vanilla, brown sugar, sweet fragrant malt, some chocolate. Coastal peat- briny with sea soaked rocks and flint, wet ash and seaweed develops. Older notes too- Tobacco, leather, leather armchair, maybe a meaty note- Sweet smoked ham maybe? Going more sweet- some strawberry and raspberry. Then more floral- grass, hay, daffodils and roses. Just keeps evolving through layers of smoke, sweetness and flora.

Oak coming through after 10 minutes- Spicier with cinnamon on carrot cake. Some pomegranate, mango, peach and orange peel coming through.

After time (30 mins) the smoke fades.

After time in the bottle there's a lovely earthy very dark chocolate with butterscotch, toffee and vanilla fudge. Going more oily earth (still fresh) after more time in the bottle.

Water: More complex chocolate- cocoa powder, dark chocolate. More oak too- American oak, crème brulee and dried banana.

Taste: Intense dark chocolate, then the peat hits with burning hay and grass (light lemon in the background), oak with complex spice- cinnamon and nutmeg, lemon juice, lemon and orange peel, meringue, malt, chocolate again, vanilla, strong floral oak, leather,tobacco and pipe smoke. Developing lots of very salty brine and seaweed, ash, soot and charcoal.

After some time in the bottle there's a brilliant complex oily earthiness.

Water: Less intense arrival. More fruity and less peaty. Mango, peach, blackberry, cherry and peach stones with cherry chocolate.

Finish: Long length. Layers of floral peaty seaweed with chocolatey spice staying for quite some time.

Bottled 2014, 26yo from a hogshead. The peat has been preserved well, perhaps they upped the ppm to off put the whores.

Amazing stuff. This was my first experience of long aged smoky whisky. Quite fresh but older notes still present. Oxidises wonderfully.

92/100

For £190 I was tempted but never bought a bottle. But I did secure a bottle of much cheaper Cadenheads 1989 Bowmore from a Bourbon hogshead.

Reviews #95-#97

Network Average: 76.2

Best Score: 91

Worst Score: 44

0-49 Terrible

50-59 Bad

60-64 Just About OK

65-69 Ok to Good

70-74 Good

75-79 Very Good

80-84 Excellent

85-89 Superb

90+ Magnificent