Bowmore Bw4 SMS

Overall rating
87.58/100
votes
64
Whiskybase ID
WB58556
Category
Single Malt
Distillery
Bottler
Speciality Drinks Ltd (SMS)
Bottling serie
Elements of Islay
Vintage
1995-1996
Bottled
2014
Calculated age
17 years old
Casktype
4 Refill Hogsheads
Strength
51.6 % Vol.
Size
500 ml
Barcode
5060188981084
Added on
02 oct 2014 5:04 pm by holborndrinker
UncoloredNon-chillfilteredCask Strength
Bowmore Bw4 SMS
Photo by whisk-O-thek
Bowmore Bw4 SMS
Photo by Whiskybase Shop

Average value

€ 105.60

Found 2 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 100.00
Belgium Toby Vins Alcools € 105.60
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64 × member ratings

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Whisky reviews for Bowmore Bw4 SMS

17 users have left 18 reviews for this whisky. Average rating is 87.58 points.

  1. LeChiffre scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    Another great Bowmore from this series. Again, a nice mix of maritime Bowmore smoke and great tropical fruits. Here a bit more on the maritime-spicy side and the tropical fruits a little more reserved than in the Bw5 (the Bw5 seems even more intense/ripe overall). Brilliant bottling, the BW5 is still noticeably ahead for me.
    Elements of Islay's Bowmore's hit my nerve somehow.
    • Nose
      salty-maritime; some seaweed; smoky; fresh citrus notes; behind the maritime freshness are sweet and ripe tropical fruit notes - great interplay
      - beautiful nose that reminds a little of the Bw5, but here it is superficially younger, more maritime and a little less of the tropical-fruity sweetness of the Bw5
    • Taste
      oily and full-bodied; slightly peppery spiciness; great sweet tropical fruit notes; mangoes; some pineapple; citrus notes; salty; all accompanied by a pleasant smoky note (tart ashy); Oak
    • Finish
      peppery-spicy; salty; the beautiful tropical fruit notes are also evident here; smoke (slightly ashy); Oak

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  3. gaboruso scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      89 89
    • Taste
      89 89
    • Finish
      88 88

  4. Dris scored this whisky 89 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      90 90
    • Finish
      89 89

  5. geriud scored this whisky 92 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      92 92
    • Taste
      92 92
    • Finish
      91 91

  6. thebonewolf scored this whisky 85 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      85 85
      Fresh fruit (apples/pears), some smoke, leafy. Like being in a fruit and flower shop next door to a place that is smoking tea leaves.
    • Taste
      84 84
      New wood, honeyed fruit with spices. Malty.
    • Finish
      85 85
      Hoppy/ale, a touch of smoke but more like char.

  7. Ficelli scored this whisky 88 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      87 87
    • Taste
      89 89
    • Finish
      88 88

  8. marcusjang scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    With the price of IB Bowmore bottles soaring through the roof, I was lucky enough to come across this dusty, older bottling at a much fairer price. Such a shame, as in my opinion the current OB offerings from the distillery just do not cut the stuff. Compared to that, this is a fantastic Bowmore that shows what the malt is capable of - although a slight youngness with accompanying tinge of metallic notes can slightly detract from that.
    • Nose
      Lemons, tropical fruits, ashtray, tobacco & tea leaves
    • Taste
      Tropical fruits, ashtray, salty coastal air, grapefruit pith, hint of metallic tang, oily texture
    • Finish
      Sea breeze, roasted barley, brown sugar, tobacco leaves, mineral, quite long, grapefruits

  9. Mortar1703 scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      89 89
    • Finish
      88 88

  10. wbarchive_103403 did not rate this whisky Expert Junior

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      89 89
    • Finish
      88 88

  11. etwa77 scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    nice, very nice. understated grace.
    • Nose
      86 86
      Salty pretzels on a northern beach and then lemons galore.. the smoke settles in nicely.
    • Taste
      88 88
      Sweet lemonade with flowers and a bit of smoke.. almost cocktail like, oily, pepper and ginger.. the taste changes continuously, a subtle interplay between aromatic sweetness and peaty salt.
    • Finish
      86 86
      Sweet and tropical aromas keep going and going and going like the duracell bunny. A slightly salty death.

  12. Sonett scored this whisky 85 points Connoisseur

    • Nose
      85 85
    • Taste
      86 86
    • Finish
      85 85

  13. lapinbilly scored this whisky 89 points Expert Senior

    A very original Bowmore and very good!
    • Nose
      The nose is divided into iodized peat and exotic fruits, it is fresh and super nice and barley dominates everything, very promising!
    • Taste
      On the palate it is peppery first and then very fruity, it is light but very interesting, we slide to the cane sugar and then to the peat.
    • Finish
      The finish is lemony and peaty.

  14. GlenSikkes did not rate this whisky Connoisseur

    Notes by producer;

    A subtle Bw bottling, with exceptionally clean maritime notes, enhanced by fresh fruit. Ex-bourbon hogsheads from two 1990s’ vintages were used to mature Bw4.

    Cask details;
    Four refill hogsheads, two from 1995 and two from 1996.

    Tasting Notes;

    Nose
    Chocolate and sea breezes. With time there is lots of sweet tropical fruit, like the tropical-fruit drink Um Bongo or Chewits fruity sweets. Kaffir lime leaves set off nicely against more of the cocoa and a big citrus note of blood orange.

    Palate
    The peat smoke is soft and mulchy, as if it were freshly cut. The savoury elements are all there such as salt and freshly cracked pepper and a hint of olive brine, but they fade with time, allowing more fruit and spice. There are notes of Conference pears and citrus along with rich, spicy notes of cardamom and star anise.

    Finish
    At first it seems to get darker with notes of baked pears but then there is some residual sugar beet and old-chocolate lime sweets.

  15. markjedi1 scored this whisky 87 points Connoisseur

    Oasis on Steroids

    We all know Elements of Islay from those wonderful apothecary bottles with their Mendeljev-like codes. Bw, for example, signifies Bowmore. This fourth batch is a vatting of four casks – two from 1995 and two from 1996 – blended by Oliver Chilton, head of development for Specialty Drinks.

    The clean nose offers maritime elements and tropical fruit in spades. A rocky coast and surf on the one hand; mandarin, apples, mango and banana on the other. Grand!

    This is all enlarged on the palate and tucked away in a very peaty and smoky jacked. Oyster sap, a gulp of tropical sea water, mango and pineapple.

    The finish is very long, quite zesty and ridiculously sweet, without losing the smokiness.

    Yes, this is very good. Oasis lemonade on steroids. Not cheap with its price tag of around 95 EUR, seeing as it is a mere 500ml bottle.

  16. Gaija scored this whisky 88 points Expert Senior

    Well, very good ! Palate has to be the best part I think, or at least the most balanced. The rest is quite animal and un-sexy but very good in its own right !
    • Nose
      Big salinity on the nose. It's much more beasty and virile than I expected, with a big maltiness (bread crust). So far, Islay is burrying the fruits. Very good though, and definitely salty.
    • Taste
      Delicious, grilled mango, drity coal, flint and still very salty of course. Slightly liquoricy and peppery to complement the delicious exotic fruits. Balance has been found between the fruits and the peat.
    • Finish
      Briny and very vinegary, gherkins juice, slight mustard and lime.

  17. Opeth83 scored this whisky 87 points Expert Senior

    • Nose
      88 88
    • Taste
      88 88
    • Finish
      88 88

  18. WhiskyLovingPianist did not rate this whisky Connoisseur

    Serge from Whiskyfun says:Bw4 (51.6%, Speciality Drinks Ltd, Elements of Islay, 2014) Colour: straw. Nose: crystal-clean fresh salty maritime Bowmore. ‘A walk on the beach while some seaweed smoke rises from nowhere’. Oh well you know what I mean. With water: the sea. Mouth (neat): perfect young Bowmore. Perhaps very young. Tropical fruits, peat smoke, sea breeze, and all that. Perhaps even mangos. The 1960s are back! With water: hello citrons, brine, oysters and clams! The mangos are gone. Finish: quite long, very clean very zesty, salty and fresh. Who needs a ticket to the Atlantic? Comments: immaculate young Bowmore. Forget about all that official chitchat about oak or wine, that can only alter an otherwise pristine distillate. Now, this baby’s perhaps a little less smoky/peaty than its earlier siblings. No too sure, I haven’t got them all on my tasting table… SGP:556 - 87 points.

  19. WhiskyLovingPianist did not rate this whisky Connoisseur

    N: Light, young, watery grain
    T: Sugary, imbalanced and,… a weird dampness. Some charring notes hinting at sulphur trouble my palate - not uncommon for Bowmores in my experience.
    F: Confused, damp, rotting wood and a plant compost finish.
    C: Nah, this one’s not working for me.

    Scores a C-

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