First, a small disclaimer. It may seem a little strange for an archaeology and environment blog to be reviewing whiskey… But those of you who have been reading us here over the years will understand that we here at Moore have a deep and long standing interest in alcohol, from a strictly academic point of view of course, so, you could say that this is an interest which spans thousands of years and, indeed, extends to the very recent past. So when masterofmalt.com emailed to ask if they could send us some drams of whiskey in return for a review on the blog, we simply couldn’t refuse. I know that some in the blogosphere find it distasteful to accept free samples in exchange for reviews etc.. but this is fine whiskey, for Dogs sake, and it’s just a small reward for all the work put into the blog.
The sampling set sent to us by Master of Malt is made up of three 30ml drams comprising:
1. Rosebank 19 Year Old 1990 – Old Malt Cask (Douglas Laing)
http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/rosebank-19-year-old-old-malt-cask-whisky/
2. Elmer T Lee Single Barrel
http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/elmer-t-lee-whiskey/
3. Master of Malt Bowmore 26 Year Old
http://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/master-of-malt-single-cask-26-year-old-bowmore-whisky/
So this time we’ll look at Bowmore…
Bowmore, according to their own website, is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Located on the Hebridean Island of Islay, and established in 1779, they use their own floor malted barley hand-turned by traditional wooden malt shovel – definitely a process we’d love to witness at some point. Their water is drawn from the nearby Laggan River, which imparts elements of the peatiness to the flavour, and local peat is used in the malt kiln adding further peaty tones. This use of peat in whiskey may have both an anti-bacterial effect as well as helping to keep the barley longer.
Bowmore presents as a light amber. The nose is slightly peaty, sweet, almost fruity, with a hint of vanilla. With a little water there’s an aroma of bullseye’s or cinnamon sticks and a hint of star anise. The mouthfeel is smooth and it tastes richly floral and sweet initially, giving way to that peaty smokiness and finishing with a still peaty and woody, cinnamon-like flavour.
Retailing at £99.95, I’d have no qualms recommending this one. That small dram went down very well and I’ll definitely be investing in a full bottle for Christmas, a special gift for myself.
Given that it’s coming up to Christmas the MoM people asked that we point out their Whiskey Gifts page here: http://www.masterofmalt.com/whisky-gift-ideas/
Next time: Elmer T. Lee, we’ll even have pictures of this one….
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