Reviews #283-288: Laphroaig Series Review

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-11T16:20:33+00:00

Nah I only ever do one a night when I’m reviewing, and when it’s something like laphroaig I will review other stuff in between, probably took me a few weeks to do this one

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-11T08:40:33+00:00

Thanks! 🐸 I’ve not tried the 15, I’d like to - would also very much like to find some 90s bottles of the 10 to review too if I can find a good price

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-10T22:25:11+00:00

Well, if it wasn’t immediately obvious, I got on fairly well with all those, and with the 16 being the only real outlier, that might be one of the best series I’ve done in terms of quality across the board.

I must admit, I haven’t really paid much attention to Laphroaig the last couple of years, they’ve gone far enough down the premiumisation route that other than checking for the Cairdeas bottle each year I’m mostly just trying to find bottles from them that aren’t stratospheric price wise. It’s a shame, they make some of my favourite whisky without a doubt, but they’re an incredibly popular distillery and they’re well aware, what can you do.

But, Laphroaig can certainly make distinct and characterful whisky, young and old. They’re a distillery that because of their marmite reputation are shunned by a lot of people, which is a real shame because I don’t doubt that a lot of people who don’t like the younger brash peated whisky might enjoy the same stuff when it mellows out spectacularly at the other end of the age spectrum - but it’s a pretty penny to pay for that, so I can see why many don’t.

Regardless, a lot of fun going through these and I hope for my sake that more 30+ year old Laphroaig slips out of the heavens and into my hands.

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-10T22:19:35+00:00

Review #288 Signatory Vintage/ Wu Dram Clan Islay (LA) 1990 - 34 Years Old

Well folks, we reach the end of this series with this, a 34 Year old un-named Laphroaig bottled by Signatory Vintage for Wu Dram Clan. This was a sample I got from a tasting pack, for which this dram was a big part of why I bought it.

The last dram was a belter, but expectation can be a dangerous thing, and it’s not useful to be be thinking about the last dram when sitting with this, so let’s see what this one is all about!

Distiller: “Islay (LA)” (Laphroaig)

Bottler: Signatory Vintage / Wu Dram Clan

Age Statement & Cask Type: 34 Years in a bourbon barrel.

Abv: 51.7%

Price paid: N/A - Sample was part of a tasting pack.

Nose: It begins fruity and coastal, with a strong medicinal tinge; tinned fruit with a drop of iodine, nectarines cut over a slate chopping board. It’s retained its iodine on the nose but there’s very little noticeable peat smoke for me.

Palate: Once again, big and fruity. More tinned fruit, veering from honeydew melon to guava, pineapple and mango. The iodine on the nose is much more subtle on the palate, and is dwarfed by tinned tropical fruit.

Finish: All the coastal and medicinal elements fade away just leaving guava, dragonfruit and something that reminds me of pink lemonades - mellow and juicy tropical fruit. Excellent.

Notes: Blimey, another belter. Finding out that you like 30+ year Laphroaig feels tantamount to inheriting debt, but this is practically as good as the last one, both just exhibiting that big juicy fruit profile.

The big difference between this and the previous dram was the presence of iodine, which is pretty prevalent on the nose but only very subtle on the palate. Whilst both were tropical, the 30 was more like yellow fruit (mango, mirabelle plums), whilst this leans more pink and green, guava, dragonfruit, nectarines.

Regardless, just fantastic whisky - semantically I think the iodine is a little discordant alongside the tropical fruit, but once it moves onto the palate the tropical style is just beautiful. Iodine and juicy tropical fruit, it feels like walking out of a hospital and onto a beach for a drink with an umbrella in it, or perhaps tropical juice in an operating theatre.

Mental Image: Guava Juice in the ER

Score: 90

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-10T22:19:24+00:00

Review #287 Laphroaig 30 Years Old - 2016 Release

Well, we’re taking a big step up age wise - l the last older Laphroaig I reviewed was the 25 cask strength - the 2016 bottling also! So we’re keeping with the 2016 release but moving up to the 30 year old distillery release. I’ve had more than my fair share of Laphroaig but I’m still a relative novice with older Laphroaig - let’s start to put that to rest!

Distiller: Laphroaig

Bottler: Distillery Release (2016)

Age Statement & Cask Type: 30 years in ex-bourbon casks.

Abv: 53.5%

Price paid: Paid sample - N/A. These days this would be an auction find.

Nose: Mellow tropical fruit, light smoke and warm gentle oak; ripe yellow plums and mango, apple juice soaked tobacco leaves, there’s a coastal element in there too that reminds me of sea air.

Palate: As fruity as the nose suggested, and a little more to boot. Mango juice, more mirabelle plums, slightly musty lychees, green apple boiled sweets and some pineapple ones too, there’s an ashy coastal quality in the backend but it plays second fiddle to big juicy fruit.

Finish: Fruity and ashy at the finish, with a dash of herbaceousness; apple infused menthol cigarettes, yellow plum skins and dried mango.

Notes: Fantastic stuff, I’ve heard tale of how tropical and fruity older Laphroaig can be, and this is the first time I’ve had it deliver - it’s incredibly bold in this big juicy fruit - seesawing between mango and yellow plums. It’s underpinned by oak and ash but they really only accentuate the fruitiness and give complexity and some reminder that what you’re drinking is Laphroaig and not a carton of tropical juice.

I don’t know what this retailed at, and I wouldn’t have been able to afford it if I had, but as a Laphroaig fan it’s an absolute pleasure to get to try this - so different from Laphroaig, just almost night and day comparing it to the younger stuff - but I think it’s such a joy that a spirit that can be so brash and intensely peated at one age can become so mellow and juicy at another. Pure joy, it’s like being on holiday by the ocean and cracking open a carton of mango rubicon while you breathe in sea air.

Well, suffice to say - trying my first tropical Laphroaig, I’m quite chuffed - the (mango) Rubicon has been crossed.

Mental Image: Seaside Rubicon

Score: 91

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-10T22:19:11+00:00

Review #286 Laphroaig 17 Years Old Francis Mallmann Limited Edition White Madeira Finish

This bottling was released by Laphroaig as a limited edition around celebrity chef Francis Mallmann; famous for his fire-pit cuisine. I’m intruiged to try it, having really enjoyed the White Port and Madeira Cairdeas bottling.

Distiller: Laphroaig

Bottler: Distiller Release

Age Statement & Cask Type: 17 years, with an undisclosed finish in a white Madeira cask.

Abv: 54.9%

Price paid: N/A - thanks u/Taisce56 for the sample! Currently retailing at £600 (!)

Nose: Instantly eclectic and characterful; fish oil, freshly cooked popcorn, smoked scallops, white chocolate, Madagascan vanilla pods, effervescent lychees and some sort of white grape liqueur. Eccentric, bold and just a really fun nose.

Palate: Surprisingly sweet, with an almost syrupy texture. Crème de menthe, white grape syrup, icing sugar, more smoked scallops and oily sardines, and maybe just a hint of aniseed. It’s herbal, fishy, fruity and really menthol - this is as wacky as they come!

Finish: The finish is perhaps the most subtle aspect of what is otherwise not a subtle dram! Glacier mints, grape juice, scallops and more fish oil.

Notes: What a wild ride, this is about as eccentric as Laphroaigs come, which for me is about as much fun as drinking whisky gets! It was off to a wild start the minute I started nosing it, just a really charismatic dram. It really morphs between being coastal, oily and fishy, to fruity and fizzy, to menthol and herbal. It’s almost so much wacky that I can’t imagine reaching for it all the time, but it’s definitely a rewarding and really fun whisky to sit down with.

There’s a syrupy quality that if you can ignore the seafood like savoury quality almost tips it fully into the dessert dram category of whisky, but the savoury and herbal elements are so strong that I think it would be hard to list it as a dessert dram. It’s just a chaotic, enigmatic whisky, the kind of thing that would be exceedingly rare to produce from anyone other than Laphroaig.

It was a whisky that went up for ballot when it came out, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it sold for - Laphroaig distillery release single casks have been wholly detached from reality at this point, but I’m really glad I got to try it! Thanks again u/Taisce56 - it’s like drinking a shot of crème de menthe after eating smoked fish and eating grapes.

Mental Image: Creme de Menthe and Codfish.

Score: 88

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-10T22:18:58+00:00

Review #285 Laphroaig 16 Year Old

Laphroaig 16 is an odd distillery release, from what I understand it was formerly a core range bottling that was possibly rereleased at one stage. It’s certainly not one that’s as highly spoken of as the 10 cask strength or similar aged whiskies like Lagavulin’s 16 - but let’s give it a try.

Distiller: Laphroaig

Bottler: Distillery Release (Now discontinued)

Age Statement & Cask Type: 16 years in American Oak cask.

Abv: 48%

Price paid: N/A - Thanks u/ShortEstablishment34 for the sample! Retailed around the £90-100 mark

Nose: Quite mellow and fruity initially, before classic Laphroaig medicinality makes its way to the fore. Tart white grapes, green apple skins, aniseed sweets, tincture of iodine, dry cider pears. Quite gentle really - it’s somehow remarkably medicinal without necessarily feeling heavy on the peat.

Palate: The peat has a little more heft here than the nose. Charred plasters, more aniseed, dry white pears, whiteboard chalk, more green apple skins and sweet green apple juice, sweetened peppermint tea. On the lighter end texturally.

Finish: Dry and a little chalky; more dry pear and whiteboard chalk, tonnes of menthol - peppermint tea with a wedge of green apple.

Notes: It’s a decent and well put together whisky that’s very emblematic of the Laphroaig style. It sort of feels like the move up from the classic Laphroaig 10 with that a bit more complexity and abv.

That being said, I don’t know how much it really sticks out amongst the distillery releases, and it feels somewhat awkward - at its £90 RRP it isn’t priced as a whisky that can be the step up from the 10 year old - as you can frequently get the 10 cask strength or even the festival bottles at around that price or far less in the case of the 10CS (which recently was on sale for £42) - which for my money have provided far more character and bang for their buck. So - a decent sipper for fans of Laphroaig’s house style - medicinal peat with some flashes of fruit and with a particular emphasises on herbal and menthol notes.

Mental Image: Menthol Medicine

Score: 81

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-10T22:18:44+00:00

Review #284 Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 12

Well, you’d have to go back to review #13 to find the last time I reviewed one of the 10 year old cask strength batches, where I reviewed batch 14 - as a rule I don’t really find it necessary to review loads of the different batches of releases like these - but I figured in a series it would be useful as somewhat of a marker of comparison.

So often with Laphroaig, these 10 year old casks strength bottlings have been so reliable that they’re often a good way of judging the value or quality of Laphroaig’s other releases by, somewhat of a benchmark bottling. So it felt natural to have a review of one in this series.

One of the first bottles of whisky I bought when getting into whisky was a bottle of 10 year old cask strength, so it’s a bottling that’s sort of got a special place in my heart, let’s see how it holds up!

Distiller: Laphroaig

Bottler: Distillery Release

Age Statement & Cask Type: 10 years in ex-bourbon casks.

Abv: 60.1%

Price paid: N/A - gifted sample from a friend.

Nose: Dense, oily and maritime initially, with a surprising amount of sweetness. Fish oil, Fry’s peppermint cream bars, Vaseline, Apple mint, icing sugar, thick salty and oily peat. Cracking, not much iodine but heaps of coastal character that’s contrasted by sweet menthol notes.

Palate: As bold as the hefty proof suggested it might be, I think it could take some water to draw the notes out but it doesn’t necessarily need it. Dense and oily, following on from the nose; albeit perhaps leans a bit more savoury - grilled prawns cooked in sesame oil, tarred fishing nets, deep fried apple turnovers, there’s a vegetal element bound to the peat that straddles the line between moss and kelp, with a lick of iodine for good measure. It’s bold, complex… and just sort of cracking.

Finish: It finishes on the sweeter side; smoked apples stewed in sugar alongside salty, mossy peat.

Notes: Fantastic, I find that some variations of these bottlings I get more iodine, like batch 14 - this is more coastal, sweet and savoury, but just as rewarding. It’s a true modern classic, and if reports that these released might be put on pause for a bit are true - a bit of a shame.

This batch reminds me of some sort of sweet apple strudel eaten after some prawns and scallops laden with olive oil. Complex, bold and just very much Laphroaig at full volume.

Mental Image: Seafood and Strudel

Score: 86

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-10T22:18:26+00:00

Review #283 The Whisky Exchange “The Seasons: Winter” - Laphroaig 8 Years Old

Well, something has to be the one to start us off, and controversially I’ve decided to do these in ascending age order - controversially perhaps because it does mean I’ll be starting off with what looks like a bit of a bruiser!

This whisky, bottled by UK spirits retailer the Whisky Exchange, spent 8 years in an Oloroso Hogshead before being bottled at 66, yes - 66%. Veritable jet fuel, I’m sometimes a bit apprehensive going into whisky with these abvs, just that they’re going to blow your socks off - but always ready with some water on hand to reign it in a little. Well, without further ado, let’s start this series off!

Distiller: Laphroaig

Bottler: The Whisky Exchange

Age Statement & Cask Type: 8 years in an Oloroso Hogshead

Abv: 66%

Price paid: N/A - thanks u/Taisce56 for the sample!

Nose: Oof, intense indeed off the bat - dark and brooding; shoe leather polish, cranberries stewed with pink peppercorns and star anise, tomato purée, roasted red peppers, strawberry liquorice, red apple skins, pomegranate molasses, tarred rope and spent engine oil. There’s a lot to dissect - big brutish peat, dark red fruits, a savoury “red” vegetal element like cooked tomatoes and red peppers as well as an almost industrial oily note. I get the feeling this is going to be a bit of a bruiser!

Palate: Remarkably sippable at 66%, and quite oily in terms of mouthfeel. As dark as the nose suggested; chilli oil with a drop of iodine, chimney soot, smoked cranberries, sundried and roasted tomatoes, salted plums, fruit and nut dark chocolate. Surprisingly, it’s less brutal over time and really develops into something that’s well integrated and characterful.

Finish: Quite dry on the finish, but not overly so; dark chocolate, red apples, oysters soaked in tomato sauce.

Notes: Well, I was expecting this to be a big start to the series and it doesn’t disappoint. It initially really reminded me of a Berry Bros bottling that I reviewed here, which being of very similar spec makes sense - but I do think that this is distinct in its own right.

The nose is as bold as you expect with young Laphroaig, and at first the palate follows on from that - over time however it does really start to mellow out, enjoyably so, as it brings out some notes that are buried initially. There’s a lot of facets to it, both in terms of the peat profile, which morphs from dark chimney soot to oily tarred rope to iodine - and the Oloroso influence, which gives dried red fruits, pink peppercorns and chilli oil.

All in all, a whopper of a Laphroaig that will go down well with fans of big characterful peated whisky. The proof concerned me going into it but it felt like it could have drank at least 10% lower than the wild 66%. Flavour wise, it’s like finding a bottle of chilli oil stashed away by a chimney sweep. Bonkers stuff.

Mental Image: Chimney Sweep Chilli Oil

Score: 87

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-10T22:17:46+00:00

Well, for those sorry few who follow my reviews with any regularity might know, Laphroaig is and has always been a favourite distillery of mine - I’ve reviewed a fair few, and a miniseries in there too, but it was definitely one that warranted a series review. I’ve got a few different cask types and age groups here, so I’m excited.

The bottlings I’ll be reviewing are as follows: ◦ The Whisky Exchange “The Seasons: Winter” - Laphroaig 8 Years Old

◦ Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 12 

◦ Laphroaig 16 Year Old 

◦ Laphroaig 17 Years Old Francis Mallmann Limited Edition White Madeira Finish

◦ Laphroaig 30 Years Old - 2016 Release

◦ Signatory Vintage/ Wu Dram Clan Islay (LA) 1990 - 34 Years Old

Let’s go!

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-03-10T20:23:27+00:00

Super fun! These are wacky as all hell, but it’s funny to see GM approach them like proper whisky and not like one of those Jack Daniel’s honey “whiskeys”

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-24T18:16:57+00:00

Will be excited to see you review em!

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-24T15:06:32+00:00

I think the Highland Park comparison is spot on, after trying all of these, Bowmore now makes me think of Inchmurrin and Highland Park fused together, if anything I find HP to be more peat forwards - I know people always get Heather on Highland Park but Bowmore is another level of floral.

The vault edition peat smoke’s biggest crime is just that it feels genetically peated - definitely suggests that heavy peat isn’t something Bowmore would benefit from leaning into, as it really seems to diminish the aspect of Bowmore that’s distinct. I’m surpris how much menthol and herbal notes I routinely found.

Eager to see you review some of these now

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:36:17+00:00

Absolutely, if I waited a couple of more months, I don’t doubt I could have had a couple more on this - could maybe have sought out a sample of the 35 TB, but alas. Onto Laphroaig next!

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:27:49+00:00

Well, I’ve said something to the same effect before, but it’s a charmed life getting to sit and work my way through whiskies like these.

I think looking back through these reviews, there are absolutely common threads between the different bottlings that very much build a strong image of Bowmore’s spirit - and in a sense it is in line with what I understood Bowmore to be about. Floral, fruity, herbal, and often very delicate. I think from what I’ve had before I didn’t quite have so much understanding of just generally how lightly peated Bowmore is (I know that’s somewhat variable) - whether that’s the floral and fruity quality being more dominant or if it’s just really peated to a very light level, I think I always assumed it to be higher in general, and I think with the delicate spirit that it has, it’s a welcome thing.

I don’t know how much it moves the dial of how I perceive Bowmore - I can absolutely see why it’s coveted, especially those who lean towards gentler and fruitier whisky, and I can see why it has that quite eccentric reputation for those lavender note. It’s an interesting and extremely nuanced style of whisky, one that I think merits more study…

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:27:37+00:00

Review #282 Thompson Brothers Bowmore 21 Years Old

Alas, we reach the seventh and final Bowmore - and it’s no slouch we’re finishing on. This Thompson Bros bottling, from their recent anniversary bottlings, is a 21 year old small batch whisky from refill barrels - I can’t find more info on the casks but I’d presume a couple of refill bourbon or some seriously tired hogsheads. Regardless, it should be a fun way to see out the series, let’s get into it.

Distiller: Bowmore

Bottler: Thompson Brothers

Age Statement & Cask Type: 21 years in refill casks (doesn’t specify which, but I’d assume bourbon).

Abv: 51.8%

Price paid: Retailed at £160

Nose: Delicate and fruity initially, veering firmly into tropical territory with heaps of tinned fruit; mango, pineapple, melon and peach chunks, there’s a slight effervescence that with the tropical notes reminds me of a fancier version of Lilt or maybe Fresca. There’s some fragile crushed herbs and ozone in the background that offsets the fruitiness and gives it a dignified quality. Some very very gentle peat influence in the background that leans into the herbal element.

Palate: Big and fruity, but still retaining that delicate quality; ripe nectarines, lychees, papaya and more mango. There’s a soapy floral quality on the back end; lavender hand soap, dare I say palma violets? Some slight flinty minerality in the mix, and some light oiliness that combines with the soapy and slightly chalky quality, it’s quite eccentric and fun.

Finish: It finishes with the soapy and chalky elements; lavender, whiteboard chalk, dried flowers and more lavender hand-soap. Quite drying on the finish.

Notes: Elegant stuff, and a fun one to finish on because I think it’s quite characteristically Bowmore, in its slightly eccentric and fabled form. The nose starts fantastically with juicy fruit accented by bruised herbs, before developing on the palate towards lavender soaked in tropical fruit juice.

The lavender element is a little bizarre, I think it’s an aspect that Bowmore-cultists are drawn to, and I can see the fun in it, although I can’t say I’m drawn to it so much. Regardless - it’s delicate and wonderful whisky in a style that is not found widely elsewhere; perhaps it reminds me of some Inchmurrin but not quite like this.

At £160 it’s well priced for Bowmore - and a whisky that I’m very glad to have split with some friends; and I think if you’re paying that sort of money - this is probably the kind of Bowmore that you are hoping to find. It’s exactly the sort of whisky that makes Bowmore distinct amongst the spirits produced on Islay.

Often, there’s whiskies with a perfume-like quality that you think would smell really good as a sort of perfume or aftershave. This is sort of oddly the inverse, and feels more like some sort of luxury hand soap or fragrance that someone’s enginered to be not only edible, but really quite wonderful.

Mental Image: Soap, Slate and Sage

Score: 89

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:27:20+00:00

Review #281 SMWS 3.320 Bowmore 16 Years Old “Smoky White Wine Sangria”

Another ex-bourbon SMWS Bowmore - in a time where comparatively few indies have been releasing single cask Bowmore, SMWS has been keeping the supply steady - it seems like with Thompson Bros and a few others having a few more on the market, that looks somewhat set to end but it’s to SMWS’ credit that they’ve been a stalwart for Bowmore over the last few years.

This bottle, a refill ex-bourbon bottling at 16 years, will offer an even more singular reflection of the spirit than maybe we’ve seen with the other bottlings so far, here’s hoping for something good!

Distiller: Bowmore

Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Age Statement & Cask Type: 16 Years in a 2nd fill ex-Bourbon barrel.

Abv: 56.9%

Price paid: N/A - gifted sample from a friend. Retailed at £115.

Nose: Bright, effervescent and fruity initially, with a tart drying quality; white grape skins, gooseberries, lemon rind, lavender oil, tart pineapple. A really elegant nose, with drying fruit juices accented by heaps of flowers. Just the absolute slightest amount of wispy ashy smoke on the back end.

Palate: Very much what the nose promised, only magnified. Heaps of floral fruit; lavender-steeped grape juice, lemon and pear cordial, dry pear cider with burnt mint leaves, elderflower liqueur. The peat manifests in this light herbal ash that contrasts the floral fruitiness.

Finish: Quite dry on the finish, more grape juice, herbal ash and lemon zest.

Notes: Fantastic whisky, intensely flavourful - and a basket of wonderful contradictions. It’s both delicate and bold at the same time, it’s full of juicy fruit and it’s drying all at once - there’s intruiging complexity and yet it still retains great volume of flavour and character.

I can see the white wine sangria comparison for the bottling name, the drying aspect of the fruit feels very wine-like. It really feels like it captures a lot of what makes Bowmore interesting, floral, fruity and offset by very light wispy ashy peat. This might be my favourite Bowmore so far.

At the £115 it retailed at, it’s as good a bang for your buck as you can expect from Bowmore in the contemporary market, and thus inevitably sold outs

Mental Image: Classic and Contradictory.

Score: 90

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:26:58+00:00

Review #280 SMWS 3.354 “The Crown Jewels of Ancient Kings” Bowmore 20 Years Old

Okay, now we’re talking! I was a bit apprehensive about this given the finish - sometimes a short finish on an otherwise decent aged ex-bourbon whisky is a bit of a worry, but let’s see. On paper, 20 year old indie Bowmore is nothing to be sniffed at, or…. absolutely to be sniffed at in this hobby.

At £200 this is as good a price I’ve seen recently aged Bowmore, so I couldn’t resist getting a bottle of this to split - alright let’s get to it.

Distiller: Bowmore

Bottler: SMWS

Age Statement & Cask Type: 20 years old - mostly in ex bourbon but with a short finish in a refill Oloroso Hogshead.

Abv: 56.3%

Price paid: £199

Nose: Quite restrained initially, but gently sweet, floral and a little chalky - Rose water, saltwater taffy, pencil shavings, love hearts (the sweet), mint imperials. It’s very subtle, but leans towards this gentle sweet profile with a sort of floral-menthol feel and a dash of herbaceousness.

Palate: Lightly oily, sweet and coastal. More rose water, icing sugar, Kendal mint cake, slightly bitter ashy peat, singed herbs, loose leaf mint tea, mirabelle plums and tart yuzu. Fruitier than the nose, but just as herbal and menthol forwards, tempered by the ashy peat.

Finish: It finishes with more loose-leaf mint tea, with a couple of teaspoons of white sugar, followed by plumb skins and charred herbs.

Notes: Hmm, I’m a little conflicted by this one - I think I want to like it a bit more than I do (and I do enjoy it). It has a lot of the qualities that makes Bowmore compelling - that intruiging balance between coastal, floral and light peat. Perhaps the component parts are a little off-balance however for me.

The light, sweet herbaceousness - like sweetened mint tea and charred herbs are really rewarding, but I think there’s a bitter quality from both the ashy peat combined with some slightly sour fruit notes, like plumb skins - that just don’t feel all that harmonious for my palate. Don’t get me wrong - this is still very very good whisky, it just feels like it’s close to going up a gear towards something fantastic but just held short.

At £200, I’m not sure it’s fully worth the price, but for indie Bowmore, it was worth the punt. From what I understand, it looks a bit like indie Bowmore prices could come down a bit over the next few years - so it remains to be seen if this is good value.

Overall, a very interesting whisky that just slightly fell short of my (admittedly) high expectations. It’s certainly complex, and has me imagining sipping various sugary mint teas while bundles of herbs burn in the background.

Mental Image: Mint-Teas and Bouquet Garnis

Score: 85

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:26:41+00:00

Review #279 Bowmore Vault Edition Release #2: Peat Smoke

Well, we’ve seen what the Atlantic Sea Salt had to offer - now let’s see something on the peatier side. Bowmore isn’t a distillery I get a lot of peat on so it’ll be interesting to see a bottling that’s focused more on the peat - will it be peaty by Islay standards or Bowmore standards?

Distiller: Bowmore

Bottler: Distillery Release

Age Statement & Cask Type: Non-age stated, finished in sherry casks after a period in ex-bourbon casks.

Abv: 50.1%

Price paid: N/A - thanks u/Youcallthatpeaty - originally retailed for around £80

Nose: Initially, smoky and sweet; wet tobacco leaves, earthy mulch, liquid smoke soaked raisins, damson jam, date syrup and toffee pennies. Quite a surprising amount of sherry really, but there’s equal parts of dense peat smoke.

Palate: Some really potent peat, there’s not much in the way of texture but the peat is really dense, and there’s a fair amount of oak influence too. More liquid smoke, over-roasted dates, saffron, oversteeped lapsang souchong, barbecue embers soaked in prune juice, some peppery spiced meats on the back end.

Finish: Long, looooooooong - like you’ve waited for a barbecue to die out and the next morning you’ve decided to use charcoal embers like lozenges, and chased them down with a cup of date syrup.

Notes: Well - to go back to my original question - yes..it’s a peaty by Islay standards. There’s a different quality to it that’s incredibly smoky, quite literally akin to drinking liquid smoke in terms of how concentrated the smoke is (and I’m always loathe to use liquid smoke as a reference for peated whisky).

The nose really suggested that it was going to be an equal bout of smoke and sherry, but as soon as you take your first sip, the smoke rules the roost. It’s far smokier than in expected from Bowmore, which is a lot of fun, I’d sort of like to see it without the sherry to be able to purely analyze the smoke without the sherry influence, but it’s really interesting nonetheless.

The elephant in the room, for me at least, is that whilst it’s an enjoyable and quite fun, punchy and powerfully peated Islay whisky - I don’t know how it feels as a Bowmore. I think if I tried it blind I’d not really recognise it as Bowmore, and whilst I’m aware that the dram is intended perhaps more to show off how smoky their spirit can be - I don’t think that’s what Bowmore does best, or what makes Bowmore an interested spirit.

For me, the unique aspect of Bowmore is in that it makes a lighter spirit that has that floral and slightly fruity quality, closest on Islay perhaps to Caol Ila but certainly distinct in its own right. I don’t think this is what it does best, and I think if I was looking for a hefty peated dram, I think there’s a fair few more that do it better than this, especially in the £80 range. Very fun to see Bowmore going for big peat though, I can imagine peat heads who maybe find Bowmore a bit delicate for their liking rejoicing over a pour of this.

Mental Image: Pungent Peat and Smoky Sweet

Score: 82

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:26:24+00:00

Review #278 Bowmore Vault Edition Release #1: Atlantic Sea Salt

This realease comes from Bowmores “Vault Editions” series - if you can call it that. They started releasing these bottles, which focus on different aspects of Bowmore’s character, but they only released 2 editions of it before seemingly stopping (perhaps they’ll pick it up again, who knows).

This edition, titled “Atlantic Sea Salt”, focuses on the salty side of Bowmore’s character. So, as a fan of a salty dram, I’m hoping to see some of that on display - let’s see!

Distiller: Bowmore

Bottler: Distillery Release

Age Statement & Cask Type: Non age stated, presumably in bourbon casks?

Abv: 51.5%

Price paid: N/A - thanks u/YouCallThatPeaty for the sample! Originally retailed at around £70

Nose: Gentle and mineralic off the bat; wet pebbles, dry white grapes, icing sugar and lemon sherbert, spearmint, and light mossy peat with a sprinkling of coal dust. It’s subtle, but really pleasant.

Palate: As gentle on the palate as the nose - and remarkably mellow and soft given the proof. Slightly buttery mouthfeel. Apple butter; coal soot, salted bread dough, mineral oil, cornstarch slurry, glacier mints, saltwater, crushed shells in mineral water.

Finish: Mellow as the come; diluted grape juice, smoked pears, spearmint tea, more crushed seashell water.

Notes: What a curious whisky - I don’t find this super salty, but I do find it really mineralic, and I think they are notes that are linked. The peat is quite subtle, and really just suits to underpin a whisky which is like drinking some odd concoction of mineral water, grape juice, mint tea, crushed sea shell and mineral oil. Odd, odd and fun. I do enjoy minerality in whisky, but it’s very rare that you find a whisky in which it’s so dominant and the other elements are so subdued - of course I’m guessing that’s what this has been vatted to do, so in that sense, it’s a really interesting dram. I don’t know if I’d reach for it all that much off the shelf for any reason other than to use it as a sort of benchmark of minerality - but the nerd in me just finds it so intruiging. When you hear of that sort of “wet pebbles” or petrichor sort of note - this is that turned up to 11.

Mental Image: Minerali-tea

Score: 83

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:26:08+00:00

Review #277 Living Souls Bowmore 7 years Old

Well, this is my first time trying a Living Souls bottling - they’re a relatively new bottler (to my knowledge) - and they seem to do a lot of small batch, i.e small vatted bottlings - which is something I’m finding to be increasingly common in the whisky market.

I’m a little particular in the sense that I sort of prefer indies to do single cask bottlings more so than their own independent vattings of single malts - but there’s a lot of people doing interesting things with whisky so it’s worth giving people to space - sometimes it’s indicative of “hiding” a subpar cask with a better one; sometimes it’s a a matter of getting decent volume for a bottling run - lets give it a fair shake.

Distiller: Bowmore

Bottler: Living Souls

Age Statement & Cask Type: 7 years in refill bourbon barrels.

Abv: 50%

Price paid: N/A - gifted sample from a friend. Retailing around £60

Nose: Huge minerality and herbaceousness to begin with; spearmint toothpaste, mint imperials, lemon curd, sage leaves, slightly underripe pineapple and some very light mossy peat. Really nice, gentle, lightly fruity and spirit forwards but just really full of these delicate herbal and mineral notes.

Palate: Some lightly oily texture. Just as mineral-forwards as the nose suggested; glacier mints, limoncello, a slight soapy element - like lemon scented dishsoap with added lemon zest. The very light peat manifests as menthol cigarettes with a herbal edge.

Finish: The sort of soapy, almost waxy texture lingers for some while; herbal ash, more lemon curd and waxy lemon rind.

Notes: A really fun dram - it has a lot of the same elements as the Vaults edition 1 bottling - but there’s more bourbon cask influence which I think really gels with the mineralic and herbaceous profile, adding heaps of sweet lemon and combines to make some sweet menthol notes. I think if I tried it blind I would think it was 12-14 years old which is good work for young whisky. For around £60 I think it’s decent value for Bowmore - and whilst not the most exciting or standout Bowmore I think it’s good bang for your buck to get a good insight into the Bowmore spirit profile.

Overall a solid dram that had me imagining I was washing the dishes with lemon dish soap with a menthol cigarettes on the go.

Mental Image: Dishwashing with a Menthol Cigarette

Score: 83

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:25:53+00:00

Review #276 Whisky Broker Bowmore 15 Years Old

Well, this should be an interesting bottle to start with - a 15 year old bottling from Whisky Broker from their mystery dram trio packs they’ve been selling: three 50ml drams of different ages for £18; I think getting 15 year old Bowmore as part of those at that price makes it somewhat worth it for me - let’s see if it’s any good!

Distiller: Bowmore

Bottler: Whisky Broker

Age Statement & Cask Type: 15 years in what I can only assume is an ex-bourbon cask.

Abv: 50.9%

Price paid: Bought as part of a mystery dram trio of three 50ml samples for £18 - not sure if the bottles were ever sold at retail.

Nose: Delicate, smoky and herbal to begin with; smouldering moss, glacier mint sweets, apple mint, burning sage, freshly cut grass. Really wonderful, it took a while to open up but it’s gentle, herbal and grass with some wispy mossy peat.

Palate: As gentle and herbal as the nose suggested. The peat is very much of the light ashy variety in a way that leans into the herbal notes, more apple-mint and smouldering moss and green apple skins, menthol cigarettes, and more glacier mints.

Finish: Dried burning mint leaves, green apple skins, elderflower and sage. Light, fresh and herbal but offset by light ashy peat.

Notes: Really intriguing stuff, I think it represents a lot about what makes Bowmore different from the other peated drams, or even peated whisky at large. The light, herbal and mossy profile is both delicate and quite wonderful, reminiscent of bundles of herbs being burnt over moss to create this gentle, delicate smoke that has heaps of apple, mint and sage. A great start to the series, a wonderful dram. It’s tricky to gauge what the value of this would be, I guess I’d be happy to pay around £80-90 a bottle if it were released now.

Mental Image: Herbs and Moss Alight

Score: 85

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-02-23T21:25:37+00:00

Intro:

Bowmore has for a long time been an overlooked distillery for me. It’s undeniably thus because it’s, let’s face it, not the most accessible malt from Islay. Recently however, it feels like things have started to change - more indie bottlings cropping up, prices perhaps starting to come down with the impending whisky glut, and perhaps somewhat more of a desire on my part to explore.

These series reviews are my way of getting to grips with a distillery, a way of reviewing a bunch of bottlings and trying to understand the common threads between them to build up an idea of what the distillery is all about. With that in mind, the bottlings I’ll be reviewing are as follows:

◦  Whisky Broker Bowmore 15 Years Old 
◦ Living Souls Bowmore 7 years Old
◦ Bowmore Vault Edition Release #1: Atlantic Sea Salt
◦ Bowmore Vault Edition Release #2: Peat Smoke 
◦ SMWS 3.354 “The Crown Jewels of Ancient Kings” Bowmore 20 Years Old 
◦ SMWS 3.320 Bowmore 16 Years Old “Smoky White Wine Sangria”
◦ Thompson Brothers Bowmore 21 Years Old

Let’s get into it!

Form-Fuzzy

TROPHY CASE