Bowmore 21 Year Old SMWS Smoked Lavender 3.364 Single Malt Whisky 56%

Nose: We found ourselves in a busy kitchen, our noses revelling in the scents of making blackcurrant and lavender jam while roasting chicken in anise-flavoured pastis and orange juice next to clams steaming in white wine and garlic. 

Palate: The taste was an intriguing mixture of earthy, ashy and sweet flavours like that of lightly smoked chopped sugar cane sticks followed by blood orange marmalade and a Jamaican ginger beer. After the addition of water, the scent of sandalwood mingled with aromas of toasted marshmallows and burnt toast with lavender honey. On the palate, we found the creamy texture of buttery baklava and a mango lassi with an intriguing sprinkling of green nori. Following 17 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a first fill American oak oloroso hogshead.

A renowned and ancient distillery located on the beautiful island of Islay. Sited in the town of Bowmore, the distillery is the oldest licensed whisky producer on Islay dating back to 1779. The well know Japanese whisky company Suntory now own Bowmore who bought a small stake back in the 1980’s from Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd. All the whisky produced is handcrafted using traditional methods honouring techniques of years gone by. In 2020 data released show Bowmore to be the second largest seller of single malt on Islay after Laphroaig. Bowmore boasts a large variety of whiskies available. The core range is made up of 12, 15, 18 and 25 year old age statements and there has been a reappearance of the limited 30 and 40 year old releases. Recent years have seen the launching of a new range for travel retail plus a series of great special bottlings.

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