Bowmore 20 Year (2004), SMWS 3.357 "Home is where the hearth is"
Whisky: Bowmore 20 Year (2004), SMWS 3.357 "Home is where the hearth is"
Country/Region: Scotland/Islay
ABV: 55.7%
Cask: 2nd Fill Bourbon (17Y), 2nd Fill Oloroso Hogshead
Age: 20 Years (Distilled 16 Feb. 2004)
Nose: Coastal, white chocolate, vanilla, almond, paperback books, wood, malty pastries, subtle beach florals.
Palate: Medium-bodied, gentle brine, wispy smoke, floral tea, vanilla, honey, wood, paperback books, perfumed floral, jammy fruit.
Finish: Long with lingering tropical fruits, coastal brine, and a drying woodiness.
Score: 8 (87)
Mental Image: Seaside Bookstore Coffee Shop Game Night
Narrative & Notes: The aroma brought me back to evenings spent on the balcony of a coastal bookstore— listening to live music and playing board games while a soft maritime brine mixed with white chocolate, vanilla, almond, new paperback books, wooden shelves, and hints of binding glue. The bookstore coffee shop offered up almond coffee cakes and tea with honey, while more subtle beach florals, naupaka, and musty carpet lingered around the edges. Medium-bodied on the palate, the flavor profile matched the aroma closely with plenty of sweet coastal florals and bookstore coffee shop vibes unlocking some sweet nostalgia. A gentle brine and wispy smoke mixed with slightly floral earl grey tea, vanilla, honey, and almond coffee cakes. Plenty of wooden shelves and new paperback books lingered with subtle perfumed florals and hints of fruit jam. The finish was long with lingering tropical fruits, coastal brine, and a drying woodiness.
I love a whisky that tickles at some personal nostalgia. This brought me right back to a long shuttered Border’s Book store, one that sat right across from a large beach park, and featured an expansive second floor balcony right outside of its coffee shop (which varied over the years from Starbucks to an in-house branding). That store closed over a decade ago now, and the tenant that took over, a home goods store, closed up the balcony (and all of the wonderful window views). This was a wonderful peek back into evenings spent studying there, or playing board games with friends.
These 2004 Bowmore are fabulous and this was no slouch. It was a touch woodier than some of the others, an aspect that the wife found interesting, but less appealing. As a result, it was more drying on the finish than others. I found it a delightful variation on a similar theme, though it left me wondering whether some of these 2004 Bowmore are getting close to their potential climax— or if the woodiness here was more a product of the finishing cask.
Overall, delightful.
