Bowmore 15 Year Old Review

Bowmore 15 is the one that used to be called Darkest, and the old name told you everything: this is Islay in a black coat. This Bowmore 15 Year Old review is about a 43% malt that costs about £73, tastes of dark chocolate, raisin and orange with a slow drift of peat, and is a rich, smoky and rather brooding dram.

I like it more than the twelve and I do not love it. It is the best-balanced of the standard Bowmores, and at this price there are bottles I would reach for first.

What is Bowmore 15 Year Old?

Bowmore is the oldest working distillery on Islay, founded in 1779 in the town of Bowmore on the shore of Loch Indaal, and it has been owned by Suntory since 1994. The Bowmore distillery makes a medium-peated, floral and fruity spirit that sits between the heavy Southside names and the gentler Islay malts.

The 15 is bottled at 43% with a fifteen-year age statement, and it is matured in ex-bourbon casks and ex-sherry casks, with the sherry doing the darkening. The Darkest name has faded off the label in recent years as far as I could tell, so check the bottle in front of you. UK listings I found sat at about £72 to £75, and £73 is a fair middle. The beginner’s guide to Islay whisky explains why Bowmore is the middle child of the island.

Bowmore 15 Year Old tasting notes

Dark chocolate with a pinch of sea salt, a handful of raisins and a bonfire two fields away.

The nose is rich and sweet, with dark chocolate, raisin and orange, then a trace of peat smoke, a hint of toffee and a faint whiff of sea air. It smells warm, deep and a little moody, with the smoke politely behind the fruit.

On the palate it is smooth and full, with dried fruit, cocoa and warm spice, then a drift of smoke, a hint of orange peel and a firm, drying oak. The 43% gives it a decent body, though I would happily take another few points of strength. The smoke is soft and the sherry is dark, and they sit together better than I expected.

The finish is long and warm, with smoke, oak and a bitter-chocolate edge. It is dry, slightly salty and very comfortable.

A few drops of water bring out the orange and calm the cocoa, and I think it is a little better for it. It also gets smokier as it sits, and the fruit steps back. At 43% it takes only a splash, and a light hand is the right one.

How to drink Bowmore 15 Year Old

Neat, with a splash of water, in a tulip glass, on a long evening. It is a very good sipper for somebody who wants smoke with some sweetness, and I would not put it over ice. It makes a dark, interesting Old Fashioned, where the cocoa and the smoke work with the bitters.

It goes well with dark chocolate, a strong blue cheese and a cold night. It is a very good gift for somebody who likes sherried whisky and is curious about smoke.

Is Bowmore 15 Year Old worth the money?

At about £73 it scores 74. Bowmore 12 scores 70 at about £38, which is four points lower for £35 less. Ardbeg 10 scores 72 at about £45, and Lagavulin 16 scores 70 at about £78. Highland Park 12 scores 81 at about £43, seven points better for £30 less.

So the 15 is better than the twelve and costs nearly twice as much, which is not a good trade. It beats Lagavulin 16 on my scale for £5 less, and the Highland Park, which has a thread of smoke of its own, wins the value argument easily. I would buy the 15 as a treat and the twelve as a habit.

The middle child of Islay

Islay whisky tends to be sorted into two camps, the medicinal heavyweights on the south coast and the softer, fruitier malts elsewhere. Bowmore sits in the middle, in the middle of the island, and its style is more floral and more fruity than the southern trio. That makes it the one I would hand to a nervous first-timer.

The 15 shows that middle ground at its best. The smoke is there and it never takes over, the sherry gives it some dark sweetness, and the whole thing hangs together. It is a thoughtful whisky rather than a thrilling one, and I think that is its charm.

Smoky malts to compare

Four more bottles, from the better buys to the island neighbours.

Verdict

Bowmore 15 is dark, smoky, chocolatey and well balanced, a very good Islay malt with a price that asks a lot of the label. It is a treat bottle, and the Highland Park 12 is the better value.

Caskable score: 74 out of 100.