Claiming loud and clear a happy « It’s only single malt (but i like it) », this dram comes from the Belgian lands of The Whiskyman. This Bowmore, the first selected by the bottler, is still available for around 90€…
Nose : we have a nice cold smoke (coal) with an immediate iodine offer. We very quickly return to the sea with some salt, seaweed and cold stone. Behind this really monotonous facade, we get back on our feet: pastry cream, caramelized hazelnuts, almond paste and candied lemon. The opening brings a sudden fresh development (icy mint, eucalyptus), some butter, mixed flowers notes (hydrangea ahead but also orange blossom). After all, it has a rather limited evolution reaching its cruising speed very rapidly. It’s very flowing and straight. Anyway, very accessible. With water, it becomes slightly austere but we keep the same feeling about it.
Mouth : We get surprised by the entrance of the alcohol, which seems to annihilate the lead, before we find the peat described on nose connected to lemon and pastry cream. We feel white flowers which swim among white sugar. Then, the more austere style appears. The peat changed into iodine and shellfish rather than coal. The lemon becomes more acidic and merges with cold stone, slivered almonds and any mandarin peels.
Water doesn’t remove the scalding feeling and leads us to more white flowers.
Finish : we finish on an alcoholic impression, with a little spicy and floral bitterness. The length is good as is the persistence. The aftertaste is salty, with white flowers, coal and lemon.
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