Bowmore 15 Year Old Laimrig batch 1

Here’s the Laimrig. It’s a 15 year old Bowmore that’s spent some time in Oloroso sherry casks before being released at cask strength. As a limited annual release it tends to get snatched up pretty quickly, so if you like the Darkest but want some extra bite, keep your eyes open for this one.

Nose: Heavy wine influence. Big, sweet sherry jumps out first. Sultanas, earth, oak, leather, anise, nuts, wild berries, Christmas Cake, cinnamon, and blood oranges. Definitely on the sweet side.

Palate: This is not what I expected after that nose, this is much bigger. Sweet sherry, salted toffee, caramel, dark berries, cherries, raisins, figs, leather, cherry tobacco, vanilla.

Finish: Nice and long. Oak, spices, faint pine, salted toffee, oysters, sweet sherry, figs, dark chocolate, caramel, marshmallow, cinnamon, and cherries.

Thoughts: This is much quieter on the nose than it is in the mouth. When compared to its weaker brother, the Darkest, this is much more substantial. The added alcohol has brought out much more gravity and depth, and toned down some of the heavier oak notes. The marshmallow, sherry, and oyster notes add to the unique profile. If you like the Darkest, then this is a step up, albeit in a different direction.

This is a review of bottle 17734 of 18000. It has been open for a month and is 85% full. I am reviewing this bottle now because in the first month it was all over the place. I make a rule for myself by note judging a whisky on the first drink of the bottle but with this one my hope went skyrocketting because the first drink taste like an incredible vating of Glenfarclas and Islay. The second was a terrible and big ashtray, the word balance was not even conceivable. The third, a little ashtray and then it was like sucking pebbles. And now the fourth one. It seems it has arrived!

The nose. First a nice cigar smoke with sherry notes and minerals. Swirl it and you have redberries and vanilla. Let it rest and you get dattes figs and a little of chocolate. At the end some hay that I don't like here.

Palate. First a burst of white pepper and then a noble wood, the smoke and the fruits (redberries and dattes). Alot more sweet than expected. All is very much integrated making difficult to identify each part. It is very smooth. Only the final heat on the gums gives away the ABV, but it is going down without the slightest burn.

The finish is the opposite of edgy; I would say surrounding you like a cocoon. The fruits are coming back with nice campfire ashes as background. It is on the light side but quite long at the same time. Beautifull.

Conclusion. I prefer the nose right after the pour or after alot of air, not quite in the middle where the hay takes over, but the palate is better with some air. It is strange to say for a scotch at 53.7% ABV, but I would say it's a comforting dram for the winter next to the chemney fire. It is not a Wowing (I am just having fun with this word) whisky, it is a soothing one, so I will not say cheers to you, I will just stay quiet and drink...

Let me first say that Bowmore has not been on the top of my favourite Islay distilleries. This sherried expression however is a stunner. Neat, the peat, smoke, soot hit you first, followed by dark chocolate and sweet fruit ,hints of cherry and burnt sugar marshmallow and spice. This was made for adding water water as this just allows the fruit and chocolate to melt seamlessly with the smoke and peat in perfect balance. Beware as this becomes easy to drink. Absolutely delicious.

I'll be honest. I'm not a huge fan of Oloroso finishes. Not because I don't like Oloroso but I feel that some less than stellar whisky makers tend to hide behind it's bold flavors and use it as a shield to mask their spirit.

However, when it's done well it can be an absolute treat. And I think it takes special kind of guts (read skill) to harvest the spirit when the Oloroso influence is just right.

And this exactly what the Laimrig does.

Poured out at a cask strength of 53.7% my bottle is 11780 of 18000 making this batch number 3. The first batch was a run of 4500 bottles available only in Sweden. I don't know why. The second batch was 15000 bottles and literally flew off the shelves. This one is a larger run and I suspect flew off even faster.

Matured for 14 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then a year in ex-Oloroso this is a beautifully balanced dram.

Nose: As one would expect from Oloroso maturation. Chocolate. Burnt orange peel. Dark rum bananas sprinkled with cinnamon. Dark figs, raisins, cherries with a hint of peat and dry spicy leather.

Palate: Chocolate fudge with sweet cinnamon and dark honey. Woody molasses. Dry honey. Dry spices. I like that it does not fight with water. A few drops will open up it's sweeter profiles and make the delivery more creamy.

Finish: Long. Dry. Spicy honey on wood.

Brilliantly crafted spirit. Love it!

I have finally obtained a bottle of this most elusive Bowmore expression. Having heard such good things about and after searching for well over a year I'm really looking to sampling this.

Soft sweet ripe red fruits dominate the nose with raisins in there and cherries - very clearly sherry. Woodsmoke then drifts over it before a treacle edge makes an appearance. Becomes sweeter, mellower and more pudding-like after time. (I should say a tiny drop of water has been added).

More of the same on the palate but it all arrives at once, minus the smokiness which holds off at first. Treacle pudding flavoured with ripe fruits. Or is it more like Christmas pudding flavoured with treacle? Quite chewy. We then get a really intense classic Bowmore smoke - much more so than on the Darkest, (which despite being a long-time favourite of mine tastes like pure syrup in comparison).

Finish - unexpectedly bitter at first! Not that good TBH. 2nd attempt - smoky but with a bit more sweet fruit there. But still a bitter edge. Quite drying, medium-long. 3rd attempt, (10 mins later) provides a much nicer finish with the bitterness only very subtle. (*note to self - remember to let whiskies breathe for a few minutes.)

Well was it worth the wait - definitely. Did it live up to expectations - just about. Worth the price, (£90) - it's overpriced but I was prepared to pay it for the opportunity. I do think £70 would be more reasonable however.

Anyway this is Bowmore Darkest on steroids. A much more robust whisky yet still with enough subtleties to keep your interest up.

(This Laimrig commemorated Feis Ile 2011.)

First vapor: Cherry-cedar and leather.

Nose: Sharp bitter dark chocolate or dark roasted coffee beans. Further breathing shows toasted walnuts, dates, and orange peel. Even more breathing brings out salty toffee as the dominant character with cherry (the other scents remain, as accents).

Palate: Spash of sour dark cherry, maybe a touch of pleasant bitterness (cinders and cedar-- and darkest chocolate). It is rich and becomes peppery with ginger. Walnut comes in, while the cherry turns to red apple and the ginger turns to clove.

Finish: Peppery clove with toasted walnut, and maybe dates. Long lasting impression of plums stewing with burnt clove.

No doubt that this is the "grown up" version of the Bowmore 15 Darkest expression. Drinking them side-by-side, the Darkest's aroma almost seems mellow-- softly and roundly sweet, rather than sharp. The Laimrig's palate is firmer and has a bit more ash, but it cuts down on the cedar and other less welcome bitters. It also seems fruitier and nuttier, which I appreciate. A couple drops of water preserve all the good character, while softening both the aroma's astringency and the palate's hot ginger. And vanilla is brought out in both these stages, welcomingly. I think this is where the dram is enjoyed best: more concentrated than the Darkest, but just a tad more relaxed than the full Laimrig impact.

Sherry butt. This is what a sherry monster is all about. Maybe the slightest hint of iodine coming through. Flavours echo sherry again, with a slightly touch of burnt wood and seaside. Long finish showing more of the seaside flavours.