Bowmore Debuts 2 Rare New Whiskies: Are They Worth the Price?
Common wisdom nowadays holds that whiskies beyond a certain age (the age varies by both country and naysayer) are not only overpriced, they’re not even very good. And in a lot of cases, that view is an accurate one. There are way too many over-oaked bourbons and one-dimensional single malt Scotches out there, commanding eye-popping prices for the age statement on the bottle rather than the quality of the liquid inside.
But as with every rule, there are exceptions. Take Bowmore, the oldest distillery on Islay, which is the region of Scotland famed for its peaty, smoky whiskies. Bowmore’s whiskies are relatively lightly peated in comparison with campfire-in-your-mouth classics from Laphroaig or Lagavulin, and the brand isn’t as well known among casual single malt fans. But among the collector/connoisseur crowd, the name is legendary. In 1993, the release of Bowmore’s 1964 “Black Bowmore” bottling not only put Islay on the whisky map, but it played a huge part in kickstarting the nascent single malt collectors’ movement. At the time, it sold for the almost-unheard of price of £120 a bottle; nowadays, it generally sells at auction for close to $10,000. And Bowmore keeps digging in the vaults, uncovering rare finds like the series of 50-plus year old malts that came out on an annual basis a few years ago. Beautifully packaged and limited to a single cask each, they sold for upwards of $25,000 a pop. Outrageous? Ridiculous? Insane? Well, yeah, of course.
When Older is Better
But here’s the thing about Bowmore whiskies — as they get older, they somehow get better. In fact, the 1966 50 Year Old, which I’ve described as “pineapple by a campfire on the beach at sunrise,” may be the best single malt I’ve ever tasted. With a suggested sticker price of $30,000 for one of the 74 bottles produced, I’ll likely never get to taste it again. But if I were the type of person who could spend that kind of coin on a bottle of booze, I might just spring for one.
High Priced Whiskies
What accounts for the budget-busting prices of expensive whiskies? Well, the space taken up by each barrel in the famed Bowmore Vault No. 1 doesn’t come for free. Think of the price as including decades’ worth of rent, to say nothing of the labor and expertise required to maintain the barrel and know when an antiquated whisky is finally ready to bottle. As whiskies get older, packaging tends to get fancier, with bottles morphing into crystal decanters, boxes becoming elaborate wooden containers, and the like. And then of course there’s good old fashioned supply-and-demand. When you’ve got an extremely finite amount of very desirable booze, making it affordable for the masses is not necessarily Priority One.
Bowmore New Releases
Which leads me to two of the newest Bowmore releases, both bottled at cask strength. Bowmore 30 Year Old (45.3% ABV) was aged in a combination of sherry hogsheads and ex-bourbon barrels. It’s the first of what will be an ongoing annual series; this year’s model was laid down in 1989 and is limited to 2,580 bottles. Bowmore Timeless 27 Year Old (52.7% ABV) was also matured in a combination of sherry and ex-bourbon casks for its first 15 years, before being moved exclusively into first-fill Oloroso sherry butts for another 12 years. It’s the first in what will be an ongoing “Timeless” series dedicated, the brand says, to “masterpieces of whisky beautifully crafted and shaped by time.” This debut is limited to 3,000 bottles.
At $2,500 and $1,525 respectively, they’re relative bargains compared to the most expensive Bowmores, if still decidedly high-end (folks in the industry might also say “superpremium”). How much difference, you might ask, does three years and 7.4% ABV make, in addition to the similar-but-distinct cask aging? Let’s find out, shall we?
Sensory Review
At three decades or so, Bowmore whiskies haven’t yet attained the intense fruitiness found in the 50-year-olds, but they have their own distinct personality. On the nose, the 30 Year Old is a mouthwatering combo of dried fig, candied orange peel, a touch of toffee, and an unmistakable whiff of salty sea air. The palate reveals more candied orange, along with salinity and nuttiness from the sherry casks, concluding with just a wisp of smoke. The finish is beautifully long, with lots of dried fruit notes lingering on the back of the tongue. What’s remarkable about this, and so many elder-statesman Bowmores, is how little the oak’s influence is felt. A dry, woody kick on the finish would hardly be unexpected, but here it barely registers. I’m one lottery jackpot away from making this my everyday dram.
The 27 Year Old spent more time in sherry casks, and it’s immediately evident on the nose, which is drier and more saline than the 30. A sip brings a rush of deep, sweet orange, along with a tingly heat that’s probably accounted for by the higher alcohol content. In many cases, higher proof can help amplify a whisky’s flavors, but in this case it obscures some of the subtleties. A few drops of water help bring out more fruity notes, like dried apricot and stewed prunes, with hints of dry campfire smoke on the finish. In a word, oh baby. (Which is actually two words. How about simply “Yum?”)
I’d be happy drinking either of these Bowmores on a regular basis for the rest of my days, but if I had to choose one, I’d go with the 30 Year Old. Is it $975 better than the Timeless 27 Year Old? I wouldn’t say so, but I do think it’s a little more complex and layered, with a wider array of flavors popping up throughout each sip. That said, if you’re a big fan of sherried single malts, you might well prefer the Timeless 27, which is pretty close to the platonic ideal of a sherried whisky — and it’s actually a bargain compared to, say, a sherried Macallan. And if they’re both out of reach financially, a bottle of the Bowmore’s outstanding 15 Year Old expression, which runs less than $100, is a pretty nifty consolation prize.