ralfy review 918 - Bowmore 15yo @ 43%vol (2022)
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
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The one Bowmore I find tasty and interesting and actually delivering nicely in terms of flavour is the Atlantic Sea Salt. The higher ABV really makes a difference compared to the watery 43% of the normal bottlings. Shame it doesn't have an age statement... It would be an amazing core range if they could give it an 8yo statement but keep the high ABV. I mean Diageo is doing that with the limited releases of Talisker 8yo and it works a treat, why couldn't Beam Suntory also go that route?
Bowmore makes wonderful spirit and tends to use excellent wood, but it's all downhill after that; the low ABV and fake colour ruins what would otherwise be a great whisky.
And YES, I agree with another commenter that the Vault Edition: 1 - Atlantic Sea Salt is by far the best official bottling from Bowmore...but it ain't cheap ✌️
Running on old reputation... Shame.
@@KNURKonesur like Laphroaig, Macallan, Talisker, Highland Park and so on. Shame on you to treat us like that!
@@davidb2701 It's important to remember that these businesses sell every drop of spirit they make at today's elevated prices, so there's not much incentive for change. Fortunately for us we're somewhat spoiled for choice these days, and there are distilleries like Deanston, Loch Lomand, Glen Scotia and others which have been forced out of necessity to turn things around and cater to more discriminating customers ✌️
@@MrChristopherMolloy Yes, You are right! Deanston, Loch Lomond, Glen Scotia was very poor qualtity and now…..yesssss!
@@davidb2701 👍
I totally agree with your comment on excessive use of colouring. I don't like seeing it at all, but with some brands (Dalmore is a classic excessive user) it's so over the top it is comical. Of course the more water these brands use to take the whisky down to 40/43 just exacerbates the "problem", making the natural colour that much paler.
You took the words right out of my mouth with the Dalmore reference.
Due to the fact that I'm relatively new in the whisky world, and the fact that most of the informations I've got from the internet, I'm relatively immune to this old "prestige" brand names (Maccalan, Bowmore...) , and most of the people of my generation, late 80s and early 90s are thinking the same way. That's a big message for the industry.
Agree... Whisky is more than sour smell under the Kilt and scotish-folklore-worship ;) Looking forward to some interesting newcomers
Of all the reasons I love your vid's my favorite is one of your production traits: No Cuts! Keep up the great work, we depend on you.
Hello Ralfy! love your chanel even though we don't get most of your single malts down here.
Finally I completely agree with your anger and forwardnes against E150 sometimes and what you are saying is totally right aboit even 5th fill, etc. am a hobby distiller and totally agree with you on this and obviously should no happen even if you have to keep up with a trade mark and or prestige. If you change the recipe/finish change the product.
Keep up with your stuff and thanks a lot for being a referential icon for all of us Malt Mates!
I always think of Macallan when I think of overhype and more emphasis on marketing than quality.
Yes. I have never bought a Macallan in the 8 or so years I've been buying malts regularly now, and have no interest in doing so either. They are the Apple of whisky, all brand no substance. I put off Bowmore here for years too due to hearing how tampered it is, but decided to try this bottling as it was going cheap, and I was pleasantly surprised. Would happily purchase again.
Starting point for me, and that's it.
Also it seems that sometimes people like the Pu-Erh tea notes in Bowmore, but the owners must've misunderstood as they seem to be aiming for the Pu-Erh *color* instead.
Back when I wanted to get into scotch and was intrigued by the peat a liquor store employee found me staring blankly at the array of options and put a bottle of bowmore 12 in my hands. An experience in a bottle I will never forget and catapulted me to much better drinks. I now realize that Bowmore could be so much more and probably costs too much.
But it had such a nice Islay punch with the sweet, and vanilla, and lemony notes. Great with desserts. I will never forget it, but will likely not go back unless a trusted reviewer discovers it's gotten better.
I served the Bowmore 15 at our whisky club shortly after your last review of the "Darkest". By the time I purchased it they had already dropped that branding and I assumed it was in response to your comments about the hypocracy of Bowmore coloured whisky. The hypocracy continues of course because instead of deleting the colouration they simply changed the branding. I was happy to serve it because it was a fairly nice whisky but it was also an opportunity to instruct members about the dishonesty of adding colour.
Spot on!
Have had a few (12, 15, 15 dark, 18) and found them underwhelming sadly. ABV has always been meh and the colour...really. You have articulated what I suspected and totally agree with. NCF and NCA are now a must for me....and I am always wary now of anything under 46% ABV. Keep'em coming Ralfy, you da man I listen too when it comes to a dram worth drinking....and you haven't let me down yet! Legend status in my eyes!
I like this wee series of review of official core range bottlings.
I really would love it if they listen to you you are a voice of reason.
. . . they won't, they are not about reason, they are about corporate business habits.
I a with you on the relative flatness of Bowmores overall (and yes, there are some pretty costly great ones out there, but the range is flat). The colouring, btw. is confirmed in the declaration for bottles in Germany.
The good news for Scotch is that the new, smaller companies keep the product fresh and interesting! I rarely see adverts, so I can’t comment on that.
Still cutting it after all those years
We’ll done Ralfy ..brilliant review ..As Usual 👍
Never had a Bowmore. I know it’s considered a “premier” brand of malt in the UK… but in the US where I am it’s just another overpriced bottle that’s shoved in the corner of the liquor store that one has one or two versions to choose from. If it were cheaper, had better reviews, was 46abv, or had more interesting options maybe I would have bought a bottle by now. But no… not yet.
It's not a premier brand, Ralfy is talking shite. No idea why. That said they do make the occasional excellent small batch bottling......but that is rare and they cannot be purchased at the supermarkets, unlike Bowmore 15. It's not that bad, it's cheap and snoky.... but smoky apple juice is not my thing...too cloying.
Thanks Ralfy. I haven't bought Bowmore since a bottle of the 12 year old that felt decidedly watered down and thin. Shame, as there were some great flavours in there. Keep up the good work. Cheers!
Brilliant break down on this whisky. The colour was slightly strange like you say. All the best Ralfy from your fellow slurpster on the rock, cheers👍
Greeting Ralfy, having coffee and watching the review ,it is 9AM down under. I only have 10 and 12 and like the 12 more but it took couple of months before it reached to that nice flavour and at the beginning it was not pleasant.
Same experience here with the 12yo Bowmore. Bought a bottle of that in 2019 (mostly for old-times-sake) and it was undrinkable upon first opening. It took about 5 weeks to settle down to something passable.
I used to buy Bowmore occasionally when I first started to seriously explore Scotch back around 2005. By 2010, I had learned enough to realize that the quality-for-price ratio just wasn't very favorable with this brand. After my 2019 experience with the 12yo, I have no plans to purchase another Bowmore.
I received their 10 yo Dark and Intense which was 40% and decent enough as a gift and their 8 yo as well also at 40% again yes decent but I have never bought a bottle and likely will not in the near future. Many thanks dear Ralfy for your sincere review. Kindest regards, S.
Update: I recently picked up a bottle on special offer for 52 euros. To be fair, I found a delightful pipe tobacco note I really enjoy (I do enjoy smoking my pipe after dinner) . They say it spent 12 years in bourbon as you correctly say and 3 years in oloroso Sherry. For the price, despite 43% and not natural I think it is worth what I paid for it. Nice dried fruits and some vanilla with a touch of peat. Thanks and happy new year dear Ralfy. Kindest regards, S.
I’ve had Bowmore 15 several times over the years, from when it was first introduced locally and then several other bottles over the years. It was fairly priced early on, but as it got more expensive over time I began finding it more and more unbalanced in terms of flavour profile. I have reached the point where I do not like the whisky itself especially considering how it is now badly overpriced. I think your malt mark is more than generous.
I purchased a bottle of Bowmore 15 Darkest from the fantastic Avenue Pub here in New Orleans during the darkest period of the Covid shutdown when they were looking to raise funds to support their employees. While the rest of the whiskies I purchased from them were fantastic, the Bowmore was terrible. It was sickly sweet and reminded me of the concentrated cola syrup used in soda fountains. I revisted it several times to see if it would improve - it didn't.
Thank you, Ralfy! I feel like an 83 non-integrity malt mark from you is a stricter punishment than "no review". There are SO MANY better fish in the proverbial sea for the money, I just don't see buying any Bowmore.
I love those little incidents that are visited upon you every now and again and that you dinnae bother editing them oot.
Hey Ralfy, after not finding a good way to get in contact with you, I figured that I might as well just make a comment on a recent vid. I'm from the US and have been a big fan of your reviews for a number of years. During my last year of college, I applied for a scholarship from the St. Andrew's Society of the State of New York to study for a master's degree at any university in Scotland, due in large part to watching your videos. I wrote in my application essay:
"Beyond academic considerations, living in Scotland would be a fantastic opportunity to deepen my connection to a part of my heritage largely ignored in the Italian-centric Lupo household. A few years back, I happened upon the videos of Ralfy Mitchell, a native Glaswegian and Scotch whisky commentator. Ralfy has produced several hundred videos from his beloved Manx bothy, each imparting a sense of the spirit in the glass and the spirit of the Scottish people who produce and consume it. His videos leave viewers like me pining for the inimitable comfort of a warm fire and glass of single malt on a dark and damp night near the North Atlantic. I would treasure the chance to see part of where I come from, to share in the Scottish experience, for the rest of my life."
I was fortunate enough to win the scholarship, but due to the pandemic, it didn't make much sense for me to leave home for the 2020-21 academic year. I did end up completing my MSc at the University of Edinburgh remotely though. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for the culture and companionship you impart to us viewers as we watch your reviews and ramblings over a dram. In my case, you actually altered the course of my life.
On another note, now that things have returned to some sense of normalcy, I'm finally making the trip to Scotland next week and I'm beyond excited to see the country. I'll be spending a few days each in Edinburgh and Islay, so if you're around let me know!
All the best,
Joey
I hope Scotland was everything that you had dreamt of. A very touching post.
I'm a Single Malt drinker for over 25 odd years now and consider myself quite knowledgeable and a bit of a Whisky anorak.I like Whiskies from around the world and I will try anything once.I'm all for people being Geeky but I have no time at all for Whisky snobs.
I enjoy Springbank,Arran, Glenturret etc but I also like and enjoy Talisker, Macallan and even this 15 year old Bowmore.
Whisky is what you like,how you like it.Share and enjoy, don't preach !!
. . . your right, I do preach, . . . a bit, but only because I see whats round the corner in about five years, when too many good whiskies will be over-priced bad whiskies. Not good for anybody, not even the 'investors'.
I think I had a Bowmore once, a 5 yo French independently bottled Bowmore.
Was a gourmet experience, very tasty. Abv a little low but delicious.
Shame about the disgustingly industrialized e150-bombs that are the official bottlings.
Had a mini-pack of the 12, 15 & 18 a while ago. The 15 was my pick of the bunch but none of them really grabbed me. I have to say though that, due to lots of bad feedback from the whisky community, I expected something terrible, especially from the 12, but they were all OK. Just felt they weren't making the most of themselves ...
How much colour shall we add?
Bowmore: Yes!
ehm ok, and what casks?
Bowmore: Do you see those old casks in the warehouse?
You mean the 3rd to 4th refill casks we used for years?
Bowmore: Yap!
But its gonna taste pretty lame
Bowmore: Dont care, people buy it, moneyyyyy :D
🏴👏🥃 great honest review MM 🥃👏🏴
One lives in hope of a Ralfy review of an integrity bottling of Irn Bru, no Colouring, Non Chill filtered and 46%....
For all the continual criticism of the corporates in the whisky business, with regards to this 15yo, we all know this 15 to have this color. Its almost the 15's brand. And its a great whisky. Changing the color will do jack. Further circling back to the corporates. They have provided the jobs, investment, logistics, branding and marketing to bring those whiskies to far off lands, where they are perhaps better appreciated than this "Woke" continual whining about how they have "destroyed" the industry. And frankly that Scotland would lose its #1 spot, is such a stretch of simple logic and data its a statement of stupidity frankly.
Above is to provide some balance for all the other Ralfy bootlicking going on in the comments. And buddy, I LOVE your channel for more than a decade.
Its just, I'm sipping this 15 as I watch this vid, and its damn superb. For some context, I'm baffled by the DC vs Marvel spitting contests among "fans". Is no-one utterly mesmerised that the 70's and 80's comics and cartoons we grew up is of such high quality today, and just flippen enjoy it for what it is.
And for whisky context, my cupboard has a few old Laphroaig 18yo amongst the +/- 100 other single malts in there. INCLUDING a 09.22 Ardnamurchan. So, I have some experience in what I'm saying.
Less b!tchn more drinkn
I think the orange colour in the liquid was just a reflection off of the label.....yeah...I am pretty sure.....the label colour is affectionately called "E150a bliss". :)
I have a 'fill your own' from the cask Bowmore, I think it's around 17yo, first fill sherry cask, and it's outstanding and without doubt one of the best five malts I've ever tasted.
I agree, do you mean the 2016 Feis Ile Handfill? That was great stuff. Also the 19yo 1st Fill Sherry Feis Ile Fill your own.
@@midimax No Michael. It's a 16yo handfill from cask 23 matured in first fill sherry butt at 55.5%.
Currently going through Kilchoman Sanaig. Suprisingly splendid (much more to my liking than Loch Gorm). Recommend a taste of it for any disheartened fans of big Islay names.
...( _yeah, it's a NAS, but the quality to price is definitely satisfying IMO_ )
With Kilchoman Sanaig yes it is young but you can actually feel that you are drinking a quality product.
Agreed, I enjoyed Sanaig so much more than the Machir Bay as well
hey Ralfy, what you think about Glen Garioch went back to traditional process such as floor malting and direct heat still?
Glen Garioch is also owned by Beam Suntory, so I think Glen Garioch is a great example of how it’s certainly not always true that big companies don’t care about quality
. . . fingers crossed.
I'm almost done with a bottle of Bowmore 12. It is a rather old bottle. It was my introduction to peated whisky, but I found others that I liked better, so it ended up lasting a long time. It has a nice peaty flavor; there is nothing unpleasant about it, but it isn't as interesting as some of the others. As I have gained experience with single malts, this has been my general impression of the big corporate luxury offerings. They taste good, but they are missing something, but it is hard to know that they are missing something until one has explored off the beaten path. After something like Deanston or Ledaig comes along, it is hard to go back. I tried those in a local bar a few years ago and found that my understanding of single malts was incomplete. Now, when I buy a new bottle, I seek out something that is a bit less known but has a lot of character.
One of the best whisky I've had is a 10 year old bowmore dorus mour, the 12 and 15 are OK but I'm glad I stocked up on the 10 when it was available about 5 years ago.
The color of the bowmore 15 always turns me off, looks very weird. I don’t hate it but I wouldn’t buy another bottle.
Spot on ralfy. I still have some adelphi Bowmores so i dont need to bother with their standardrange.
I don't mind the current Bowmore 15, I actually enjoy it, but it should be a 46% though, and ditch the colour and chill filtering. The 12 was only OK, and everything I've seen from you and the other reviews suggest to me to pass on the 18 altogether. Cheers from 🇨🇦 Ralfy!
I’d love a longer episode where Ralfy has someone like Jim McEwan or Billy Walker in the Bothy to talk about the future of Scotch whiskey
In my opinion the official core-range bottlings from Bowmore are a total disappointment I really don't get why this distillery still seems to have a couple of admirers There's so much better stuff out there.
I actually like the taste of the 18. But they go way overboard with the e150. Am I buying whisky, or am I buying caramel?
E150 gives me a rotten headache too. Like instantly not next day.
My whisky store has about 7 or 8 different Bowmores just sitting on the lowest shelf gathering dust...
I got lucky when I got into whisky and found Ralfy and Roy and from the beginning looked for integrity single malts...
I do have Lagavulin 16 and Clynelish 14....but, that is it as far as e150 goes...
I will take a pass on this distillery...
Cheers
Bowmore was the first distillery I really dove into early in my whisky infancy. I've expanded substantially in the last 5 years, but still have a Tempest VI I bring out from time to time. I've been nursing a dram of Devil's Cask II on Halloween every year since I bought it. Seems apropos to drink on such a night.
Bowmore has lost it's shine for me even in the last 5-7 years and i have little intention of buying any more at present prices and with such a plethora of better, more affordable options the general public tend to sleep on.
At around £52 a pop, I would want a bit more than competent Ralfy. Nah....the money stays in the pocket for the time being. However you continue to make the right observations about the industry and along with more clarity on bottle labels, we consumers need to know that our distillers are making cask selection / management a priority. I don't need fancy advertising or glitzy, blingy packaging (pish)....I want quality integrity malts at affordable prices. Too much to ask?? 🤨Anyway, I'll get off my box Maestro - looking forward to the Extras 👍.
Could be a passable substitute for Lagavulin 16 if they keep the price down but like Pernod Richard and the artist formerly known as Whyte&Mackay, Beam Suntory seem to be deaf to the criticism across all their brands and blind to the growing number of enthusiasts who will carry the good word about Arran, Springbank etc. into the future. The only category that I can see taking the top spot away from Scotch though is American and that’s only if they can get over the availability issues that surround the premium/allocated stuff that never seems to leave the States. The flavour range is too narrow in the standard bottlings.
I don't think that this could be a replacement for Lagavulin 16, totally different whiskies. In my opinion Caol Ila 12 is a more passable one for Lagavulin 16, more similar and ex-bourbon aged, both of them.
@@groberti the only real difference I see is the increased peat level of Lagavulin. Lag16 seems to have a higher proportion of Sherry casks in the maturation than the 8 and the same can be said of Bowmore 15 vs the 12 year. Both are similar in age, abv and use caramel and chil filtration. The Lag16 is a better whisky but for the extra price I think it’s fallen to Bowmore level.
Interesting you put American whisky as potentially surpassing Scotch. What American whisky have you had that’s been near the same level as scotch? I’ve yet to find anything American even in the small ballpark.
For me Japanese whisky is what I think might pass, or match scotch. With Suntory and Nikka, and now all these small distilleries popping up (and new JPW standards soon) there’s a ton of potential and already some really good Japanese stuff
@@JohnnyD7895 it’s not so much the quality the it’s the volumes that America can put out. I haven’t much experience of the supposed best of American whisky but the hype that surrounds the likes of Pappy Van Winkle, Weller Antique Collection, Angels Envy etc. it’s all allocated and hard to find in the states and impossible near enough overseas. There’s a whole raft of “craft” distilleries all over the US that have come online in the past 5 years looking to do things differently using different casks, grains, yeasts, bottling at a higher strength that looks like a serious contender to me. I’m a scotch man and always will be but Ralfy makes the point they have been on top for too long and are getting sloppy / lazy. The Japanese looked like a prospect but was soon found out their production was too small to sustain a real challenge and they were found to be importing in Scotch to blend in and bulk up their output. These casks from the bourbon industry are experiencing increased demand from other whisky producing nations like Ireland, Japan, from the rum industry and from these new US distillers, and as the demand for ex bourbon casks goes up so will the price and you will see more scotch distillers rather than pay the inflated asking price will re-use more tired 3rd and 4th fill casks and it will eventually show in the bottlings. The world unfortunately is still drinking Johnnie Walker and the blend is still king to the accountants and shareholders of corporate multinationals, the malts are where the quality is but that quality has been gradually going down over the years in relation to the price.
The 'Tempest' editions were pretty good, and good value (wee bit sweet for my palate but still very enjoyable), shame someone decided the series should be discontinued. I can't think of a Bowmore I would buy at present.
The Tempest was great, the Devil’s Cask was awesome. Both now gone. I’ve always like the Darkest. Not a favorite, but a fun revisit every now and again.
June 2018, half a decade already, just about. Sweet jesus.
I just Don't like the current BOWMORE core range - it lacks because smoke needs fire. Though Bowmore can still be very good if you find some fairly priced puristic Indies (mostly undisclosed / it's a gamble) or older versions ( overpriced) but some people may not care.
Have a Bowmore Peat question. On there website they talk about doing there own onsite floor malting and peating that malt with local sourced peat and this makes up approximately 35% of the mash bill. Do you know if the remaining 65% of the malt they source is un peated making their own malt the full source of the peat ? I ask because I just got my first Bowmore, vault edition 1. Really like it with the high abv and spirit forward flavor profile from bourbon cask maturation. I find the peat to be mild, delicate and unique which is making me wonder if their own malting's is whats bringing this ? Thinking of getting this one to try more Bowmore altho would prefer an independent bottling that will keep an eye out for. Cheers
Chocolate Cherry Tootsie Pop coats the mouth with a good dram. I like it, but it’s a bit off balance and the price is a little high.
Bowmore : Poor whisky but what a view etc from the shop and tasting lounge eh! Must have the best lounge of them all on Isley.
I've only just started watching this review, and at 1:24 I can already guess how this is going.
Bowmore, not my cup of tea. Today It is very boring. In 2015 I was there at the distillery and it was great (very nice people), but the quality was already poor (Black Rock, Legend, Vault, etc). Such a shame, they can do better.
I got turned over for £138.00 on a Bowmore 3 to 4 years ago. First and only ever purchase , never again, went to Bowmore several visit's , shop, and Swimming Pool, bought some Springbank at the Spar shop, never went anywhere near the distillery, pish
Recently helped a friend through a bottle of this over a few visits. It wasn't 'bad' whisky, just not 'very good' whisky, which is out there for those who care to look. I do wonder whether they have found high quality sherry casks difficult to source or as having too much impact on the bottom line. Poor cask management has seen them use 'sulphured' casks and they have been sensitive to the criticism which rightly results, so instead they simply use fewer/older sherry casks and add colour to disguise the fact. What do you all think?
For me Bowmore is hit and miss. They have a good raw spirit and seem to have access to quality casks. It just doesn't show when they try to appeal to the masses or cut costs.
Never been keen on the 15. Your cask theory would explain it.
Bowmore's Tempest 10 yo used to be a pretty good OB.
It looks just like 1792. Just had some lastnight and the descriptions sound a bit similar.
Bowmore Enigma was one of the best reasonable priced Bowmores I ever had.... long gone unfortunately.
53€ in Sweden so great value for quite a good dram
1100 på systemet nu, illa.
@@JonathanRL98 helt stört o 18y är ju priset dubblat på nu, 1600:-🤯
@@primewhisky Ja man undrar ju vad dom håller på med, fyfan alltså.
I still haven't tried any Bowmores (to my memory). One day I'll try some at a bar or something, but I probably won't buy a bottle. There's too many other options. Take care, people.
Alex
The 10, 12, 15 and 18 yo Bowmores all taste young and have no body. The first three are in every way very basic products. At least the 12 is very cheap. The 18 has quite strong sherry notes but it also lacks the body you would expect from an 18yo whisky. I tried the ob 25 a couple weeks ago and that actually tasted like a 25yo whisky. I agree with Ralfy, the reason for the young/thin overall flavour must be the usage of refill casks which just don't do the job.
Have u ever tried Floki Birch Finish ? It's an Icelandic 3 year old single malt I find really interesting . Cocoa , Mint and Brown Sugar notes are wonderfully highlighted .
I was at a Floki Tasting in Reykjavik back in 2018. Very interesting type of Whisky. Really enjoyed it 🙂👌
. . . never seen this one yet !
Ralfy , in this video you’ve stated exactly why I don’t bother with Bowmore. I’d love to engage with the whisky but it’s like they don’t want me.
theBowmore 15 yo Laimrig was a nice malt but sooooo expensive
Iv had this about 12 months I was disappointed still drank it though… because I paid for it
I agree with your statement about Bowmore's "generic highstreet" range; the quality does not reflect the price they command. The exceptional stuff is reserved for Feis Ile and limited releases, all at absurd prices where most people don't venture. It is a shame because Bowmore can produce a quality spirit... they just chose not to.
Reminds me of the unwritten rules of baseball. Don't really care. Tastes good to me!
Ralfy, looking good in 1080p! Did you get an Internet bandwidth upgrade?
Ralfy, seeing your candle trick made me think, “what if E150A showed up under ultraviolet or infrared light”, you could make a killing selling little bandwidth flashlights.
. . . excellent comment.
This is why age statements are bullshit. I would spend 100$ on a NAS integrity bottling that's stating it was aged in 1st fill bourbon barrels before I would buy anything from Bowmore.
Sorry to say 5 years in never found a bow more I really appreciated some whiskey is great Glencadam glendronach will always be on my bar but rum is my first love doorlys 12 and now four squares exceptional cask series more to my taste when paying such ridiculous prices having paid big money and being so disappointed on all types of spirits four high recommendations I know personal taste is king
bourbon Elijah barrel strength Craig is great but makers mark standard is so good for value so my personal bottle bar Glencadam 10 glendronach 21 doorlys 12 makers mark should be ok but I’m not a fan of white spirits if you had to have only one bunnahabin 12 is the one there you know there you go 🥴
I purchased a Bowmore No 1 its a cheaper non age statement, it was lacking in depth compared to other Islay drops and it will never be repurchased again. I have gone on to repurchase Laphroaig and Glen Scotia. I think that says something about a whiskey....
Orange as the setting sun in August… *groan*
A decent enough single malt unnecessarily complicated by company policy or lack of good policy. Unfortunately, for the money you spent on it you would get better value bottles: Ledaig, Kilchoman, Bunna, Longrow, even Old Ballantruan.
Hello Ralfy! Enjoyed (almost) Ur every Vid over the years. That took quite a time! Would u give us ur opinion about the glengarioch 15yo sherry Edition? That would be great. Greetz from Germany somewhere near the baltic sea :) ;) keep it up!
Springbank , Glencadam , Arran and what ?:)
As soon as I saw this thumbnail I ran to the vault and opened my 21YR BOWMORE ASTON MARTIN edition.
Just to look through those thick glasses into bitter eyes.
😊
Bowmore might be using American Oak "ex-Sherry 😉" casks; that might account for the vanilla notes.
Cheers to "El torero".
I usually like Bowmore, but this 15 is as you say Abit disappointing compared to the old 15 Darkest. But Bowmore Duty free Age statements I do like, And the Tempest and the 12 standard I also do enjoy... E150 tho is annoying, but this is mass production....
It really is unnaturally reddish orange isn't it. Can;t stop noticing it now.
Another expression that has changed to the worse. At least they changed the name and don't use 'darkest' any longer which is a clear indicator for them knowing that it's not as good as it used be. In my opinion the same has happened with Dalmore 15 and Glenfarclas 15. Ralfy, I think you're absolutely right when you say that the Scotch industry are about to lose their reputation.
They changed the name from “the darkest” because they’ve since created an older Bowmore which was technically darker than their 15. It has literally nothing to do with quality
Only had half a dozen Bowmore’s on my journey so far, I’ve been very underwhelmed aside from the 1st Vaults Edition, the 15 I found to be the worst and had an overwhelming artificial strawberry sweets flavour, even the 12 was slightly more interesting.
Which Bowmore is the best in your opinion, Ralfy?
. . . none at the moment.
Ralfy, Have you ever reviewed American Corn whisky? AKA "Moon Shine"?
Do you filter the water you add to your whisky? I filter mine and wondered.
At least they don't write 'Finest oak casks' on the label anymore...
Does anyone know when the colouring start in whisky? Was anything else used before
Bowmore 12 & 15 are pretty poor quality but the vault editions are really good so I know they have it in them. They just have to make quality a priority
It's really a shame better presented Bowmore is so hard to get hold of now unless you're willing to pay an unreasonable price, it's a real big put off to trying the distilleries output.
When I saw the thumb nail I thought you were doing a rum.
Imo OB Bowmore: 👎
IB Bowmore: 👍
Hi Ralfy could you review Macallan 15 double cask?
That collour just feels wrong. Its not just a bit of collourant to try to match batch to batch, its so much that feels odd. If you think of Edradour Caledonia which is as dark as you get naturally.. This Bowmore just looks artificial. I tryed the 15 and 12yo and was not impressed. If only I was not spoiled with choise. Cheers!
Can someone tell me the OB's he recommended? I picked up Arrin but not the others.
. . . Glencadam and Ardnamurchan.
@@thewhiskybothy Thanks Ralfy!