Bowmore Legend

Bowmore Legend is a no-age statement fairly cheap Islay malt. I've heard it suggested it's around 7 years old and that doesn't seem to be far off the mark.

It's got taste a-plenty but not much on the finish and very little in the way of complexity. That being said, sometimes it's nice to have a whisky that you don't need to do any work on. As a young (largely impoverished) whisky drinker, it's nice to have something to pass around that friends can drink without a great ritual or fear of breaking the bank.

Onto the whisky:

Nose: There's not a huge amount going on here (then again, my bottle has been open for a fair while). I get some peat, a little salt, some smoke and a smell that reminds me of shoe-shops. Leather? Maybe!

Palate: Lovely. Not a hint of harshness and some lovely smooth smoky flavours running around. Definitely a good winter-warmer. There's a nice bit of honey in there (I'm a big fan of honey if you see my other reviews) and a pleasant saltiness to contrast it with. The second tasting remains very consistent with slightly more saltiness, but no overall change to the whisky after several sips.

Finish: Fairly limited and not terribly long. Essentially it's the same as above but gentler and with no major developments. Personally I think it's nice and smooth, but I understand those that say it's not complex or interesting enough.

The whole whisky revolves around a moderate level of smoke. It's not an ashtray (Coal Ila Signatory 1999!) but it's not a memory of smoke (like in HP12). Legend has a simple, pleasant smokiness and is a lovely everyday dram. It's not something you get excited about drinking all day, but it's something you know you'd life to come back to and relax with.

I'm a fan. I'd also add that if I could be bothered to review a Bowmore 12 it would be at least 15 points lower than Legend, so make sure you have a good think about Legend before launching into 12!

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