.bowmore - 2002-2014 - the ultimate

46% abv, €45, single malt, non-chill filtered, natural colour

Nose: briny, a whiff of smoke, leather, liquorice, floral, heather
Palate: sweet, strong, spicy, red (hot!) chilli peppers, toffee, liquorice root, honey, honey-comb, wax, floral, heater
Finish: smoke, long, dry, firm, sweet, caramel, waxy, ash
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: Not your average Bowmore, and I like that. I am generally not a fan of Bowmore, but there are the one or two exceptions and the many I still have to try. I added quite a lot of water, since the initial taste gave me a lot of peppery spices on the palate and tongue. After that, the sweeter notes set themselves free making this a very enjoyable dram. Although the nose is not very exciting, the hotness on the palate and firm and fire-like finish make her somewhat more interesting.

More info: distilled on 02/10/2002, matured in hogshead #2188, bottled on 10/03/2014 into bottle #43 of 365