Whisky : Bowmore 16 Year SMWS 3.315 “A Moment of salinity”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 56.5%

Cask : Second Fill Ex-Bourbon

Age : 16 Year (Distilled Feb. 2004)

Nose : Salt, fruit, and mild smoke.  Maritime breeze and salt ponds with a faint hint of decay.  Fragrant notes of tropical ‘ohelo berries, white pineapples, and vanilla syrup.  Subtle notes of nuts and dried mushrooms.

Palate : Medium bodied and oily with a salty-tropical fruit profile.  Lime leaves, soursop, and dragonfruit popped before a wave of salty brine swept in.  Curry and spice peaked through and left behind a tangy tropical fruit punch.

Finish :  Lingering fruit and salt.

Score : 7

Mental Image : Curried Lime Leaves

Notes : This Bowmore was bottled exclusively for the US chapter of SMWS in 2020.  It was a solid selection and highlighted the tropical fruit flavors that can be found in Bowmore.  While this was tasty, I could not help but wonder if a few more years in the cask would have brought out more complexity or even unity to the flavor profile.  This was quite similar in terms of provenance and flavor to SMWS 3.314 a Bowmore 15 year released for Feìs Ìle in 2020.  Though I know the bitter fruit elements in that Bowmore were more divisive, I thought it had a higher ceiling and I would put it ahead of this in any mental (or internet) ranking.

Overall, this Bowmore had a great body and the sort of flavor profile I love to find a Bowmore.  If Bowmore were more like this all the time, I would definitely get more excited about trying them.