Review #140 & 141: Bowmore 18 & 1994 Raw Cask Bowmore 17

Bowmore 18

Islay - 18 Year - Chill-Filtered - e150 - $90 - 43%


Color - Auburn

Nose - Mild peat, lapsang, figs, vanilla, sweetness, raw pears - very mild nose

Taste - Honey, caramel, malt

Finish - Medium short - Cigar ash, honey, caramel

Overall - 4.5 -  This is one of the least interesting whiskies I have ever had.  It is mild, limp and non-distinctive.  There is really nothing to say about this one at all.  It is bland, boring and lacks character.

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1994/2012 Blackadder Raw Cask Bowmore 17


Islay - 18 Year - NCF - NCA - $140 - 50.7%


Color - auburn

Nose - Iodine, hospital cleaner, floral notes, citrus, berries - A funky but fun nose

Taste - Caramel, simple syrup, malt

Finish - Medium - Sweety and smokey, berries, char, caramel, and a little red wine tannin

Overall -  -  This was a a nice dram but seemed all over the place.  The nose was funky as can be.  The palate was pretty flat sweetness and malt.  The nose was red wine and smoke, but not in a married fun way like a Longrow Red.  I can see other people enjoying the ride of this dram but it just isn't for me.

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Rating system is price influenced as it is based on my shopping decisions when buying a bottle.

10 Best in Show
9 Great Dram for Special Occasions
8 Worthy of consistent spot in my collection
7 Worth picking up a bottle if in the mood
6 I would buy a bottle if it went on sale
5.5 Solid Dram, but they probably wouldn't discount enough to buy
5 I would drink it happily if offered
4 I would drink it if offered on the rocks
3 Maybe some soda will make this potable
2 I'll Pass
1 Toilet cleaner

Inclusive Ratings
Overall 6.1
Standard Deviation 0.93
Skew 0.66
Kurtosis -0.16