Field Brief: The Peaty Side with Bowmore and Westland
After the handful of mostly unpeated whiskies I reviewed in the last Field Brief, I turned my attention to the peatier side of the table and kicked off an impromptu Bowmore side by side with a few additional bottles not reviewed here; they are ones I own and will no doubt get around too eventually. I ended the night with a Westland from the excellent American independent bottler Lost Lantern— hopefully just the first of many American Single Malts this year.
Whisky Details: Bowmore 20 Year (2004), SMWS 3.353 “Please accept our apologies…”
Nose: Coastal and sweet, earthier than typical of these 2004 Bowmore, jungle and musty underbrush, muddy hiking trails, old rubber soles on hiking boots, wood resins, slightly farmy at times.
Palate: Medium-bodied and oily, musty earth and wood resins, more familiar concentrated tropical fruits, guava and mango, hints of coastal salinity, dirtier toward the end with muddy hiking boots and rubber soles.
Finish: Medium to long with a kiss of salt, earth, and fruit.
Score: 8 (88)
Mental Image: Le Bain Loti
Narrative & Notes: Every time I have one of these Feb 2004 SMWS Bowmore, I wonder how many more casks remain in Leith. They have all been good, more than a few have been great, and they have continued to evolve and impress with age. This was the dirtiest of the 2004 Bowmore I have encountered, with far fewer coastal notes— they were there, but did not take center stage with quite the same force as usual. This was an earthier beast, with occasional hints of rubber and even a bit of farm on the nose. Those aspects carried over onto the palate, though they sat behind more of the typical tropical fruits, for a less dirty flavor profile. Overall, this was fantastic, on the verge of real greatness, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I ultimately upgrade the score when I eventually try it again.
Whisky Details: Bowmore 18 Year, Fèis Ìle 2023
Nose: Syrupy fruits and baking spices, stewed stone fruits with cinnamon; wood resins, incense, lacquered wood, undertones of clay and earth, with ink it reminded me of an art classroom, touch of meaty smoked pork late on.
Palate: Medium-bodied, drying and tannic, stewed fruits, incense, lacquered wood and subtle leather, inky at times, subtle charred meat and wispy smoke.
Finish: Long and lingering, tannic and drying, wood and dried fruits.
Score: 7 (81)
Mental Image: A Painting you can Smell
Narrative & Notes: As the evening turned to a small SMWS Bowmore side by side tasting, the host disappeared and returned to offer this bottle as another point of comparison. It was heavily sherried with a big cask-driven profile— very similar to the David Simson distillery exclusive or some of the Manager’s Selections, but younger. It had a lot in common with those whiskies with tons of stewed fruits, baking spices, and incense. It was classy, but not terribly subtle with a wood dominant profile whose tannins pulled it in a drying direction. Bowmore pairs well with sherry, but I struggled to see exactly where the cask ended and the distillery character began on this one. Overall, very good, though a bit overdone for my taste. Sure to please sherry hounds.
Whisky Details: Westland 9 Year, Lost Lantern 2024 Release
Nose: Very woody with loads of kiawe— mesquite wood, furniture store, mint chocolate candies, new car or new leather, baked cinnamon rolls, charred wood.
Palate: Medium to full-bodied, cinnamon and cherries, charred wood, cassia bark and tea, tannic and drying, charred mesquite wood, dry grass with a kiss of mint, earthier and more mineral at the end.
Finish: Long and drying, charred wood and earth.
Score: 6 (78)
Mental Image: Furniture Outlet Center's Weekend Sales Event
Narrative & Notes: The danger of a long maturation in very active oak is that the whisky ends up tasting like licking a log cabin. While this was definitely very woody considering the near decade it spent in new oak, it was not nearly as woody as some of the other well-aged Westland I have reviewed. The peated malt was not entirely lost, though it had mellowed out quite a bit and largely fell into a supporting role for the cask. I am no beaver, so while this was not an offensive lovely of woodiness, it was still too much for my taste.I am absolutely dying to see a Westland this old matured in a refill wine, sherry, or malt cask. Overall, a lovely malt that surprisingly reminded me some of the mesquite smoked product from Santa Fe.
