Whisky : Bowmore 15 Year SMWS 3.314 “Loungecore Stave Exoticism”

Country/Region : Scotland/Islay

ABV : 56.8%

Cask : Refill Hogshead (14Y), First Fill STR Barrique (1Y)

Age : 15 Year (Distilled Feb. 2004)

Nose : Barbecue char, berries, and forest.  Clean and crisp with hints of decaying forest matter, blackberry bushes, ʻōhelo berries (imagine a tropical cranberry), and musty wood.  The arboreal nostalgia parted to reveal herb crusted trout on a grill, wood ear mushrooms, and sweet spicy cigar box.

Palate :  Medium bodied with a nice oiliness and notes of earth, tropical fruit, and forest.  At first there were all sorts of funky tropical fruits— tart blackberries, dragon eye (longan), and rambutan.  Slowly an earthiness took hold as notes of soft wood, musty loam, and mushrooms accumulated.  Sugary, sappy, and creamy impressions of chico (sapodilla), roasted ʻulu (breadfruit), and soursop arrived near the end.

Finish :  Lingering tart berries and lime leaves.

Score : 8

Mental Image : Berry Picking in Kōkeʻe

Notes : I absolutely loved this “Islay Festival” bottle SMWS released as a US exclusive in 2020.  I walked away a bit disappointed when this came out after I missed out on all the other bottles they released that day.  However, once I tried this, I was glad I ended up with something that I really enjoyed.  This bottle had good tannic structure and a fascinating profile full of earth and funky, sometimes tart, tropical fruits.

After sharing a few drams with others, I did notice the bottle can be a bit divisive. Not everyone enjoyed the funky fruit or the musty earthy notes that came through.  The slightly tart fruit, which struck me as very much like a wild mountain blackberry, came on too strong for some and as more bitter than tart.  I loved this though— I cannot think of another dram that left me with so many distinctly varied impressions of fruit.  This provoked some very specific memories for hiking through mountain forest and eating ripe tart blackberries.