Silver Medal at Malt Maniacs Award 2012

Forget the flowery Bowmores distilled in the mid 80s and the clean, lemony and crisp ones from recent years… and prepare for a jump back in time, to a bottling in the highly appreciated style of more than 30 years ago, to which finishing in precious Spanish sherry barrels from Jose Martin gave a further twist. In spite of being an Islay malt, peat smoke is very delicate and never dominating, competing with the fragrant notes of almonds and orange marmalade. An exciting balance, very complex, in perfect equilibrium between the sweet and almost oily maltiness, and the slightly winey and drier nose. Fresh, still vibrant, and yet displaying a great maturity. Probably a classic in the making, exciting at cask strength or with just a tiny drop of water.