Bowmore SMWS 3.300 Dirty Margarita on a yacht
59.7% ABV - Islay, Scotland
Nose: Salty, tropical fruits. Dried orchard fruit—floral, aromatic. Grilled pineapple, ginger, and citrus.
Taste: Smoked tropical fruits, peach, spice, hints of oak.
Finish: Warming salt and spices with sweet tropical BBQ smoke.
Though I am still not a paying member of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, I have a blessed friend who has managed to get me a couple of the Bowmore releases. I am surprised by how much tropical fruit is coming from a 2nd-Fill Hogshead… the hogshead cask size is usually the combination of two ex-Bourbon barrels, so whatever ex-Bourbon they are using it was great! Perhaps the first fill on of this barrel was short—maybe only a finish—and that allowed the wood to retain a lot of the original characteristics before it was absorbed into the fine liquid before moe!
Bottled way back in 2017—6 years ago at the time of this writing—the price that I have recorded, $250 CAD, really shows how much whisky prices have risen in the past few years. Although the price is nothing to laugh at (it’s still expensive), it definitely makes me judge the value of anything I have in my crosshairs today.
All-in-all this is a slight deviation from your average Bowmore, including the cask strength releases that come under the official distillery label, and it’s a great addition to round a library of Bowmore flavours. I wish it had more florals! The tasting notes suggest lavender, but it’s not the quantities I would otherwise prefer.
Details: Distilled 17 February 1999. 17-Year. 2nd Fill Oak Hogshead.
Tasting Notes (Official): Maritime and malty, with heather, smoke, tar, and barbecued ribs. The palate has deeper smoke, lavender, pecan pie, bacon and ‘dirty margaritas’.
Tasted 24 September 2023. (Posted 29 October 2023.)
