Bowmore Feis Ile 2016 (57.9%, OB, Virgin & Oloroso Casks, 1500 Bottles, 2016)

Whisky Review

• Category: Islay single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Bowmore Distillery
• Bottling: Suntory
• ABV: 57.9%
• Cost: £55

What they say:

Feis Ile 2016 Special Bottlings

Our exclusive Feis Ile release this year is an extraordinary and curious marriage of 4 American Virgin Oak Barrels and a 1^st fill Oloroso Sherry Butt re-racked and married together in the original oak, this is a whisky not to be missed! 1500 bottles will be available to buy exclusively from the distillery visitor centre from Saturday the 21^st of May at 10am.

Price- £55.00 (400 bottles will be kept to go on sale on our open day on Wednesday the 25^th)

What I say:

Bottled for Bowmore Open Day during Feis Ile 2016. This was Dram #3 from Moxie’s Festivus for the rest of us #2 (2016 edition). A rare chance for those unable to make either the Campbeltown Malts Festival or Feis Ile (Islay Festival of Malt & Music) to sample some of the bottlings that were exclusively on offer. Sadly despite it being my first love and favoured Islay malt during my initial phase of whisky investigation, I have pretty much had a rocky relationship with Bowmore ever since. A wonderful visit and sip of their 18 Year Old with great friends recently rekindled my admiration for Bowmore , yet many of their budget/staple offerings had disappointed me?

Colour:

Dark copper bronze (12/20) medium tears & fine legs

Nose:

Fizzy sherbet sweeties, fruity, floral, dusty, cereal barley flour, oranges, ginger, spicy nutmeg, raisins, bread & butter pudding, vanilla, phenol/peat

Taste:

Ginger & orange marmalade, bitter, popcorn, bubblegum, spicy, light bodeied, powdery spices, burnt toffee, cornflakes, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, irn bru, orange zest & peel, candied peel

Finish:

Medium-long, dry powdery spices, ground ginger, sweet orange barley sugars, sherbet

Overall:

Meh! This one didn’t really do it for me. Yes there is quality in here and it is a little unusual – so something different for the hardcore Bowmore fans. Actually I found this a little harsh in places, with touches of underipe Bourbon from those virgin casks.

Score: 83/100

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