Bowmore 18-year-old

Overall rating: 88.57/100
votes: 294

Category: Single Malt
Distillery: Bowmore
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Bottling serie: The Vintner's Trilogy - Manzanilla Cask
Bottled: 2017
Stated Age: 18 years old
Casktype: Manzanilla Cask
Strength: 52.5 % Vol.
Size: 700 ml 750 ml
Barcode: 501496004708
Added on: 11 Sep 2017 4:16 pm by maltaholic

Average value

€ 333,61

Found 5 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 175,00

	Whisky and Spirits SA	€ 179,00

	Buy in the Market	€ 195,00

	Buy in the Market	€ 250,00

	The Whisky Shop Singapore	€ 488,22

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Whisky Reviews for Bowmore 18-year-old

62 users have left a review for this whisky and scored it an average of 88.57 points

Archer scored this whisky 90 points
31 Oct 2017 11:06 am
An 18-year-old Bowmore with over 50%, plus a maturation in Manzanilla barrels - there can hardly go wrong. The nose is just fantastic, even on the palate he can do a lot. The finish should have been a bit longer, but that's just a small thing. He's really fun.

Nose

Sweet and mild smoke escapes from the glass, caresses the nose. The alcohol is wonderfully involved, because nothing bites or tickles. Red, ripe grapes and a compote of wild berries form the basis of the aromas, on which milk chocolate, toffee sweets, vanilla and honey gradually emerge. Over time, it becomes spicy (black pepper, nutmeg) and fine dry, but the fruit content does not disappear, but only retreats into the background.

Taste

Pleasantly warming, fruity smoke lays on the tongue. Although the alcohol is also very well integrated on the tongue, it is anything but tame at the beginning. Immediately present are the grapes from the nose, now slightly fermented, on top of a mild smoky note, which has a refreshing menthol. Meadow herbs provide a pleasant spice, which is nicely complemented by pepper, salt and nutmeg again. You might even suspect a little violet water ... After some time, the 18 years in the barrel, it is woody, leathery, loamy; At the same time, however, a grape sweetness remains on the tongue.

Finish

Medium long, dry, slightly smoky, salty, grape must.
chrizthewiz scored this whisky 89 points
19 Oct 2017 10:36 am

Pink grapefruit, red apples, strong whiffs of seabreeze, wet beach pebbles, green tea leaves, mint, cough medicine, and something that reminds me of a luxury handsoap. The peat is there, but it sings in the background. It sets the mood, so to speak. Taste: Dense arrival. Salty, bone dry and mineral. Develops into cough medicine and After Eight mint chocolate. More peaty than on the nose. With a few drops of water, some floral and sweeter wine (riesling?) notes come out. The finish is quite long, with more peat and earthy notes. This is tasty stuff! Definetly no sherry monster but a great take on manzanilla maturation for sure. I like where Bowmore is going with this one. Totally different compared to the Devils Cask series. The nose is a bit closed at first, but after a few minutes this baby delivers well.
Marko_I did not rate this whisky
23 Mar 2018 11:00 pm
Strange part. Let me put it this way: The smell after dilution in three times as full and strong and juicy, in addition to the bright side of the taste with EVERY sip, maybe even more intense (fruit / mineral), slightly less spicy, a little more Bowmore smoke BEFORE leaving, and that could be the € 120 shredder claimed by the price tag. But it's more like a freak.

Nose

Pure: very restrained (the 15 standard before, however, was the purest fruity Nasenfasching), sweet-woody, smoke almost not not recognizable, if I inhale too violently -> sharp-woody-bitter, could also be any third-series Speysider UA be in CS from the exhausted Hogshead; a few drops of water bring the smoke into the smelly area, along with cool citrus fruit, grapefruit, pomelo, weeds, wet clay, quite pleasant, but also more restrained, between juicy, watery and dry

Taste

Strange - one sip is light, citrus-woody, white chocolate, mineral, grapefruit, the next dark - more towards raisins, milk chocolate, then cocoa, bitter-smoky, the next sip again bright, etc.
I like the light side better (both are pretty spicy despite thinning), but I can not really hold on to them, it's like drinking two whiskys in turn.

Finish

long, hot, spicy, depending on the phase grapefruit or cocoa; Here I am for the first time sure to have a Bowmore in the glass at all, the smoke is typical
hs305 scored this whisky 88 points
08 Jan 2018 10:18 pm
[January, 2018] Bowmore had really awful years during the eighties but it came back greatly after that (not to mention the fifties/sixties when Bowmore produced some of the greatest drams on earth). So I am very curious about this new release...

Another nice (modern style) Bowmore release that has one flaw only: it is way too pricey (from my perspective 70-80 Euro are appropriate)!

Nose

89 89

The colour is chestnutoloroso sherry and the texture shows many small tears that sowly consolidate and stick to the top of the glass (a great oiliness). The nose offers an extremely winey driven but typical (modern) Bowmore profile with vanilla, maritime, peaty and fruity aromas. Very complex and interesting to explore. Some drops of water help to reduce the dominant wine aromas. I like it!

Taste

87 87

The taste is complex too, basically on the same flavours as is the nose. It is chewable and more balanced as the winey flavours are no longer dominant. Water releases more bitter flavours from the wine soaked woods what often happens with first fill wine cask maturations. I like the neat dram better.

Finish

88 88

It arrives a little hot but nicely coating (remember the great oiliness?) on the palate with no distracting moments. The finish is of medium length and adds delicious chocolatey flavours to the mix without any bitter or astringent notes.
schero scored this whisky 91 points
21 Oct 2017 1:24 am
A typical Bowmore with an extremely great PLV, which was not killed by the maturation.

Nose

Sweet and burnt raspberry shrimp, incredibly intertwined in the nose, there is actually no alcohol, raspberry-ahoi effervescent powder, candied strawberries, very mineral, oranges are always clear to the end

Taste

Also here again lightly burnt earth and raspberry notes, the smoke is also restrained, saltiness

Finish

Here, the smoke is immediately present and the dark fruits remain something, nice and warm, slightly dry
Kantenmechaniker scored this whisky 90 points
07 Dec 2018 10:30 pm
Simply beautiful, great PLV, everything fits.

Nose

90 90

Starts very nutty, almonds, marzipan, creamy, vanilla, great integrated smoke, it contributes to the overall impression, but it does not determine, overall quite dry, some wood that brings with it, and behind it stands out a sourish fruit note, lemon mint, mint , Orangeat, Christstollen, also lighter fruit notes, a hint of iodine, dominant is this fresh and nutty marzipan, after the first sip of chocolate, whole milk, here is my Lumumba comparison again

Taste

91 91

Wow, creamy and oily, for chewing, raisins, plum essence, here surprisingly sweet by the dry fruit, nut, milk chocolate, nice intense, not at all spicy, a hint of cinnamon, and yes even a small violet looks over, the smoke you have to The other intense flavors really consciously show, but then he is there, dry and slightly ashy, great

Finish

90 90

what a creamy mouthfeel, above all is now a sweet raisin juice film, almost as if there were PX in the game, then also grape skin, little smoke, only slightly on the palate, but then but the longest lasting
Othorion scored this whisky 87 points
28 Mar 2018 12:38 pm
Nose

hm, restrained start, first soft smoke and honey. Somewhat slightly musty in the background like wet moss, zero alcohol, grapefruit, raspberries, like raspberry powder, slightly artificial, a perfume-like note towards lilac, milk chocolate, wild berries, orange oil, later some gum, some bacon, but all very discreet, needs it it's patience and hand warmth.

Taste

Warming, stronger onset, it has already a few turns !, An interplay between sweet, slightly bitter and spicy, subtle camp fire smoke warming, spicy, with pepper, honey, smoke and nutmeg, slightly dry. black pepper, honey cocoa and again grapefruit, also lemons and oranges, salty, maritime, mineer in between are again forest berries, and again this perfume note.
LDB scored this whisky 82 points
22 Mar 2018 3:24 pm
Nose:

Subtle smoke, the 52.5% already tickle in the nose, there is a phenolic undertone (cleanser with apricot flavor?), a little burnt bacon from the charcoal grill

Taste:

initially relatively rounded and even slightly fruity, BBQed oranges, then it quickly becomes dry and bitter.

Tastes like Bowmore, but is harsher than other Bowmores due to the nippy alcoholFinish:

Salty-astringent, without any really distinctive note

With water it loses even more coherence and dryness and bitterness increase.

Conclusion:

If you are looking for a somewhat "rough" Bowmore you will find it here. As much as I like Bowmore in general, and also Manzanilla finishes (a good example is the recent Tobermory 13yo), the number of flavours in this Bowmore is scarce, and I think it is unbalanced, the alcohol is not well integrated, and the price too high. Sorry, but I cannot understand the high ratings here.
- Nose
  
  82 82
- Taste
  
  84 84
- Finish
  
  80 80
schengel10 scored this whisky 90 points
20 Mar 2019 2:02 pm
A top malt that is slightly ahead in comparison to the regular 18-year-old;

Nose

spicy oak, woody notes, light smoke, fruit, orange zest, slightly bitter, caramel;

Taste

powerful enormously powerful start, voluminous, oak, pepper, ginger, dry sherry, cocoa, gentle smoke, mouth-filling, complex;

Finish

long finish; crackling spicy finish;
mosesumike scored this whisky 87 points
06 Apr 2018 7:41 pm

Phil said: “...one of the Best!”

https://youtu.be/Lk32kJxgAlk

Score: 9 out of 10

+++++++++++Consider: It needs water !+++++++++++++

93 from Distillers

https://distiller.com/spirits/bowmore-18-year-double-matured-manzanillaTASTING NOTES

"This is an intensely flavorful dram from Bowmore. It's rich and peaty, with just a little bit of treacle and hazelnut, and a very pleasing maritime saltiness. Have no fear that the sherry casks will overwhelm the whisky; it offers the peat smoke Bowmore's fans have come to expect, and at a satisfyingly high proof. Islay drinkers won't want to pass this it up."

REVIEWED BY JACOB GRIER

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