stinky, stinky bowmores

[mongo]

as i really like bowmore, and as i am yet to encounter the infamous bowmore nose which some associate with aromas they've only encountered on illicit, furtive assignations with french ladies of the night, and further as i don't have a lot of money to waste on frivolous pursuits, i have decided to go forth in active search of a bowmore bottle that is likely to sport said nose. is there a window of vintages where this nose is guaranteed? is 1982 too early? is 1989 too late? does it emerge most distinctively in ex-bourbon casks? ex-sherry? or are its pheromones so irresistible that no cask can mask them?

[Yello to Mello]

I tasted tasted vegetables the same time soup was cooking in the house wwith bowmore...that is it

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

the last time I came across traces of FWP in a Bowmore was in a sip

of Bowmore Enigma. Like standing in the middle of a blooming field of lavender.

But that is not FWP in the full. It might give you an impression, though.

Greetings
kallaskander

[alec.tron]

Hey,
I haven't had one that was overly extreme on the nose, however for palate and finish, these I found rather unpleasant...
For violets/parma & perfume finish:
http://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies.php?merkid=4&whiskyid=22077
for violet soap on the palate:
http://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies.php?merkid=4&whiskyid=3515
somewhere inbetween, but equally nothing for me:
http://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies.php?merkid=4&whiskyid=199

And these are meant to hit the same spot, however I haven't had them, and my curiousity for them perfumed Bowmores has now been satisfied as well...:
http://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies.php?merkid=4&whiskyid=660
http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/master-of-malt-single-cask-26-year-old-bowmore-whisky/
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-9126.aspx

c.

[alec.tron]

Oh, also, since you were asking when & where this is best to be found.... there's still no unanimous theory to it as far as I know. There's 80s bottlings without it, and there's the ones with it... the most likely years seem to be the late 80s though.
For an interesting read on the subject however, click:
http://www.maltmaniacs.org/ADHD/mm16.html#16-01

Good luck & have fun (hopefully, when trying them as some people actually seem to like it) .
c.

[Malt-Teaser]

Aye, I would have pointed to that E-Pistle from Dave too.

[dramtastic]

Black Bowmore 1964.

Absolute sh*t!

[BigMac]

It's my experience that you get it from 83-91... and especially in the 85-88 bottlings.

After 1992 its still light and a bit flowery but I've also found that this what I describe as a flowery notes has faded a bit in the ones I've tasted coming up on Vintage 2000.

Good hunting!

[Tim F]

1982 is definitely not too early - some of the most FWP ones I've ever had are from that vintage. The new release 1982 is a classic case: a colleague recently described it as 'like walking through a cloud of air freshener with your mouth open'

[jack_faith]

yep, i've wondered about this too. The 1988 cask strength Port matured Bowmore was splendid in my view. I got myself some parma violets to remind me of their taste. Also some bunches of Lavendar. There is something in the delivery which is similar to the sweeties. Not the arrival or so much the finish but in the middle. Certainly not overpowering and also I stress, not unpleasant.

Looking around I saw Mark Gillespie rated this but got the finish all wrong ("tart and short"). I can understand quite different tasting notes but no way is the finish short. Billy, the new blogger at TWE, found too much flowery air freshener and a lipstick waxiness. There are some beautiful marine notes in this whisky, along with ship timber, rope, Misplaced my tasting notes and alas it isn't my bottle.

Interesting discussion on MM. French Whore Perfume is a memorable descriptor.

[Pudge72]

Ok, seriously (or better yet, not so seriously), how many people on this site have visited a house of ill-repute in France? Is there a whisky that showcases perfume notes from English/Dutch/American/whoever ladies of the night?

[Mr Tattie Heid]

I have reached the age where I cannot tell a streetwalker from your average teenage girl.

[MacDeffe]

I got a 1989 16yo sherry cask Bowmore that got this from Serge

Bowmore 16 yo 1989/2005 (51.8%, OB) Colour: pale straw. Nose: much, much cleaner than the Enigma. Not very boldly aromatic but extremely fresh, with an interesting mix of fresh butter, flowers from the fields and tropical fruits. Quite some pink grapefruit, litchee syrup, pear juice… Quite some iodine at that, sea air, seaweed… But the peat is surprisingly subdued. Hints of vanilla, lactones… Very nice, I didn’t have such a “clean” and elegant (rather) young Bowmore OB since ages. Mouth: oh, now it’s very, very perfumy, with lots of Turkish delights, rosewater, gewürztraminer, rose jelly, Cologne water, incense… I’m sorry but I do not like this kind of profile, so typical of some fairly recent Bowmores. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s flawed, just one of these ultra-perfumy Bowmores. Long finish, getting a little bitter and very, very peppery. Okay, 80 points for the very, very nice nose.

Adding to that, it's a 75cl Bottle and it was "just" 53£ at GlenGarioch I am very scared to open it

Why is a 75cl sold in Scotland, Why at Glengarioch ?, and why so cheap ?

(price is relative to similar Bowmore, its not really that cheap in the big picture)

Steffen

[olikli]

Adding to that, it's a 75cl Bottle and it was "just" 53£ at GlenGarioch I am very scared to open it

Why is a 75cl sold in Scotland, Why at Glengarioch ?, and why so cheap ?

(price is relative to similar Bowmore, its not really that cheap in the big picture)

Steffen

You usually get a selection of the entire Morrison Bowmore portfolio at all their distilleries. Perhaps this was just a leftover export bottle that somehow was overlooked.

[MacDeffe]

I don't know, there can be a million reasons, I was just wondering a bit why exactly this bottle was available at GG back in February 2010, they didnt have that many Bowmores there really. It's actually very very rare I see 75cl bottlings in Scotland...


Steffen

[dramtastic]

Bowmore
Owned by Suntory
Gotta be a good thing!!!