I picked up this bottle while visiting Japan and if you want to read more about that trip you check out all the bar pours I wrote up notes for: The Society Bar, Cambelltoun Loch, Aloha Whisky. I also dropped by a handful of Liquor Mountain and Shinanoya locations in search of interesting bottles. This particular one came from Hasegawa, a shop located in an underground pedestrian mall just off Tokyo Central Station. Despite the central area, it was far less crowded and easier to navigate than some other station areas. The shelves were particularly tall at the store which made looking for bottles a challenge, even with my towering height.

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Whisky: Bowmore 16 Year (2009), Kingsbury Cask 5

Country/Region: Scotland/Islay

ABV: 55.8%

Cask: Barrel

Age: 16 Years (Distilled 2009)

Notes: Vanilla and chocolate Teddy Grahams paraded in the smokey camphor-laden vapors with animal crackers, digestif biscuits, Biscoff, and all manner of malty semi-sweet cookies. A touch of smoke and salted caramel lingered further in with vanilla cream cookies, Chantilly cream puffs, and just a touch of burning floral, resinous aromatics. Oatmeal pancakes with maple syrup, coconut syrup, and lilikoi butter put me in mind of an old 24H diner, the kind that are now almost extinct. Medium-bodied and oily, almost buttery, on the palate with a wispy acrid smoke that brought burning floral aromatics, vanilla, Chantilly cream, and a maritime brine. Much more maritime, beachy, and fruity on the palate with peppery wood and minerals, like collecting sea shells on the beach with a bit of pineapple cake to snack on. The finish was medium-length with creamy salted butter, vanilla, digestif biscuits, and cracked black pepper.

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Score: 7 (84)

Mental Image: Teddy Grahams’ Beach Vacation

Conclusion: This was exactly what I hoped it would be. For the price of admission, I paid $160, I feel good about the bottle. It was not at the level of some of the 2004 SMWS Bowmore, but it was not far off either, and significantly cheaper than those have become. It was maltier than most of the other ex-bourbon 2000s Bowmore I have had, with a bit less of the floral and fruity aspects, and very little of the industrial dirty smoke of others. It was fairly balanced all things considered, with a good evolution from the aroma to the palate. Overall, I would pour this every day if I could… and pretty much did until the bottle was empty.