Bowmore 20 Year (2004), SMWS 3.351 “Piers, Papayas, and Pineapple Pebbles”
Whisky: Bowmore 20 Year (2004), SMWS 3.351 “Piers, Papayas, and Pineapple Pebbles”
Country/Region: Scotland/Islay
ABV: 56.7%
Cask: 2nd Fill Bourbon (17Y), 2nd Fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead
Age: 20 Years (Distilled 16 Feb. 2004, Bottled 2024)
Nose: Coastal and fruity, tropical, pineapple, coconut, dry grass and palm fronds, wispy smoke, grilled shellfish.
Palate: Medium-bodied, fruity and slightly metallic, pineapple, soft smoke, barbecue shellfish, coastal brine, dusty earth, minerals, beach sand, caramelized fruity sugars.
Finish: Medium to long with a soft brine, dusty earth, fallen palm fronds, and hints of tropical guava and pineapple.
Score: 8 (87)
Mental Image: Secret Beach Barbecue
Narrative & Notes: Delightfully coastal, the aroma was brimming with mai tais and lava flows— coastal cocktails full of coconut, guava, and pineapple set against the soft brine and wet, surf-washed sand of a beach walk at sunset. Palm fronds, coconut husks, and dried grass lingered in the background with wispy barbecue smoke and grilled shellfish. Medium-bodied, the flavor profile popped with a slightly metallic smoke wafting in from a beachside barbecue with shellfish and pineapple sizzling away. Coastal and earthy, a soft brine accentuated the caramelized grilled fruits while earthier notions of dusty red dirt met a sandy mineral bite— like hiking to a remote beach for a lazy barbecue. The finish was medium to long with a soft brine, dusty earth, fallen palm fronds, and hints of tropical guava and pineapple.
I picked up this bottle from the SMWS restaurant/club room in Glasgow— it was the last bottle my wife and I added to our overloaded suitcases during our foray through Scotland. It is no secret that bottles from SMWS branches outside of the US are often cheaper, and we were not the only members of our party to pick up a bottle, and not the only ones to grab this particular one. There was no need to sample it beforehand, these 2004 Bowmore from SMWS have been fantastic and this was no exception.
Overall, the sherry finish on the whisky emphasized more of the tropical fruit qualities inherent to these 2004 Bowmore, bringing guava and pineapple right to the fore with a bit more earthiness than you typically find. Some of the delightful tropical florals were subsumed under the richer flavor profile, and the maritime brine was more subdued, but the whisky featured occasional hints of mustier and dirtier qualities, like hints of dirty rubber slippers, that provided some lovely depth.
