Bowmore, Refreshed, Summertime

Islay distilleries explained thru Rock and Roll comparisons – Part 4 – Bowmore & my review of Dawn, their older Portwood bottling

 

Islay distilleries and their whiskies explained through Rock and Roll – Part IV (of VIII)

I started this series just four weeks ago and am just so pleased as to how well it’s being received.  Thank you all SO MUCH for tuning in (and commenting) to this series!

So, let’s tally up what’s happened so far.  Part one: Bruichladdich as The Sex Pistols, Part two: Ardbeg as Slayer, Part three: Caol Ila as The 80’s. (They get their very own decade!)

Today in part IV we will have a chance to discover Bowmore’s older “Dawn” bottling.

Whisky aficionado and co-author of the 6th edition of Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion, Bill Meyers, introduced me to this whisky not too long ago.  Thanks again, Bill!  It was one that wowed me at the time.  I liked it enough to seek out a bottle and below are my tasting notes.

My previous posts in this series started off with the whisky review first then the Rock band comparison just after.  I’ll run the entire series this way.  So’s you know…

Bowmore “Dawn” Portwood – 51.5% ABV – $|£ – ??

On the nose — Immediate blast of smoke upfront.  However, as quickly as it hits you, it’s overtaken…

While the smoke remains, it waits patiently in the background as red gem candies and grape soda take center stage.

Coming back — there’s an underlying dankness, or earthy quality, quite like a mix between potting soil and fresh lavender.  The lavender is actually massive here.

This whisky has a lovely sweet and floral nose that’s balanced quite well with the smoke and earthy tones.

On the mouth — Remember that grape soda I mentioned?  It’s here, it’s queer, get used to it!  Queer as in its flavor not being one you’d normally associate with a whisky; especially an Islay whisky.

That lavender is back as well.

The port casks make themselves known with touches of spice on the back of the tongue (plus more of that fresh potting soil – the taste of the smell of, that is).

Spider mums and other flower-like scents.  This is quite the feminine whisky.  Me likey.

Finish — Spicy (lightly so) and with red fruits and just a touch of smoke.

In sum —  Coming back to the nose after every sip and that (sweet) smoke returns in a very nice way.  This is a solid, solid whisky.  If you’ve stayed away from port casked whiskies in the past, this may be one to change your mind and one to search out (just save me a bottle or two…).  I think I’ve discovered why it’s called dawn — this would make a solid breakfast whisky!  Wake, pour, sip and invigorate.

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Bowmore – The Band!

I’ll get this one out in the open — I LOVE 70’s and 80’s Bowmore.  90’s Bowmore makes me happy too.  The variations of Bowmore released in the 2000’s+ seem to be a bit all over the place for me – a bit of a moving target.

However there have been some *solid* winners in my eyes.  The Bowmore Tempest releases come directly to mind.  As do Bowmore Dawn (reviewed above), Mariner, 25yo… heck, I really enjoy Bowmore Legend.  One of the most uniquely delicious whiskies I’ve had in years was the 26yo single cask Bowmore put out by Master of Malt (so G-d darned brilliant a whisky!!).

There are also Bowmore whiskies that I find to be ok but not overly thrilling – Bowmore 12, 15 and 18yos come to mind.  Decent whiskies but they don’t excite me like other Bowmores do…

While I may not be overly thrilled with that portion of their current standard range, I have a feeling that the addition of Rachel Barrie to the Bowmore team will put a shine upon their whiskies like we’ve not seen in a few years.  Alongside Dr. Bill Lumsden, Rachel Barrie has done some solidly good things during her time at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg.  Rachel, I can’t wait to taste all of the good whiskies that will come from Bowmore under your watch!

So, who are you, Bowmore??

I am actually reminded of David Bowie when I think of Bowmore.  With his every changing styles/fashion and outfit coupled with a good mixture of some of the best Rock and Rock to come out in the 70/80’s (followed by some albums later in his career, during the 90’s and 2000’s, that were not up to par with the his earlier work but still pretty damn good).  Not only am I a fan of 70’s glam, I’m a total Bowie Junkie.

Like Bowie, Bowmore is some something that others strive to be like but just can’t match.  Are you Hunky Dory or just Aladdin Sane?

Stories/History

A new beginning – well, at least a new name for the blog: Jewmalt Whisky ✡ Reviews

 

The times, they are a’changin’…

If there is anything we can count on, it’s change.  Like a bout of gassiness after a night at your favorite Mexican restaurant, change is something on which we can rely.

After 2.5 years of having a whisky blog/reviewing website called the “Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society” it was high time for said change.

Moving forward this blog will be known as Jewmalt Whisky ✡ Reviews.  Why Jewmalt?  Well, I figured I should use something that would be familiar to my twitter followers and Jewmalt is my twitter handle.

Also, I’ve made a much needed change to the logo – being that the site is no longer the “Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society” I had to make a change to the logo that would reflect newness and something modern.  For this reason, I decided to go with the one to the right.

Those old concentric-circles-type logos are so passe, so yesterday anyway.  I hope that the new logo will reflect the more modern and hip aspect to my whisky reviews.

So, what can you expect from Jewmalt Whisky ✡ Reviews?  I’d say you can expect from me what you’ve always expected:

  • Unbiased whisky, whiskey, bourbon and other fine spirit reviews
  • Great, descriptive imagery/images to accompany my reviews
  • Field trip and whisky show reports
  • Video tastings with leading industry people
  • Interviews
  • Education in whisky (yet in a fun way)
  • 4 ounces Venezuelan Beaver Cheese
  • and a boat load of fun!

Add to this some new features that I’ll be announcing over the following months.

Thanks, as always, for following the Jewish Single Malt Whisky Society blog & being a loyal reader.  I hope you will continue to follow me on this blog!!

I would not be here if it were not for you.  (Well, I would but it’s much more fun with you here.)

L’chaim/Slainte/Cheers/Kampai!

Joshua “Yossi” Hatton

A World of Discovery, Autumn, Bruichladdich, Let's celebrate!, Octomore, Springtime

Bruichladdich’s Octomore “Comus” – Ummm, wow.

Islay Region – 61%ABV – £95 | $150

Sad fact of life – there is a lot of ugliness in the world.

From Hitler’s Nazi Germany to 9/11 and Bin Laden to that girl I met online all of those years ago that had a hump on her back, bad breath and broccoli in her teeth, the world can be an ugly place.

However, there is a lot of beauty as well.

From a young boy helping an elderly woman across the road to the wonders of new life and happy parents to One Day at a Time’s Valerie Bertinelli (she’s the young one in the middle, if you’ve never seen the show):

Boy, did I have a crush on her back in the day!!

Yes, the world can be beautiful and have gorgeous things in it.  Today’s pageant winner is the new Octomore Comus 4.2.

Bottled at 61%ABV, this 5yo was matured in French Oak/Sauternes casks and apparently peated to 167ppm.  Sweet Yoheved, mother of Moshe!  That is a heavy peating level!

Let’s see what happens when you take *heavily* peated spirit and mature it in French Oak/Sauternes casks for five years:

On the nose –  The canister and bottle say so.  Bruichladdich’s website and marketing materials echo it.  Various webshops concur.  The barley for this here Octomore was peated to 167ppm prior to distilling.

Well, heck if I can smell 167ppm worth of peating here.

It’s no doubt a peaty/smoky beast but, my face did not catch fire when sniffing at this whisky…

There’s smoke in here for sure but I’m also taken by crushed almonds and buttered biscuits.

A very briny nose as well – salted porridge.

Hard red plum minus the tartness.

Wow, the toasted biscuits with slightly darker edges really captures my attention.

There’s a spiciness here that flirts with cigarette smoke and a touch of salted black licorice in the background…

On the mouth – Like drinking one of Marc Bolan’s powder blue velvet suits – the mouth is incredibly soft and silky.  Almost honey like.  I’m reminded a bit of the mouthfeel on Glenmorangie’s Pride (another Sauternes casked whisky).  Remarkable mouthfeel.

A good deal of smoke upfront however this relents to waves of golden raisin, coconut, chocolate…. hermit bars.

Pears and apple are here too but not the tell tale pear and apple from a young whisky – this seems cask driven as it’s not spirity, if you catch my meaning.

Slightly buttery (maybe it’s just a mouthfeel thing…)

A bit spicy, more nutty notes (walnuts this time) and cooked and candied lemons.

Finish – Shortish with fruity & smoky notes.  There is brine and spice that stays on the back of the tongue.

In sum – This Octomore offers up balance and beauty like none before it.  Yes, the other Octomores I’ve had are/were very nice and well constructed but the Comus is above and beyond… a cut above, the big cheese, the head honcho, numero uno (sorry, I let my inner love for Airplane come out there).

One would never know this is 61%ABV.  Wonderful at cask strength.  Celebrate with this.

If you have nothing to celebrate – make something up…  It could be national “That’s what she said” day for all I care.

This whisky is so worth your time.

Truthfully, one of the best whiskies I’ve had year to date.

Special thanks to PJ, DF & EC of Bruichladdich for their tremendous hard work to get me the sample!!

*Special-Special* thanks goes out to ParcelForce for getting me the package in record time!  The sample was sent from the UK on Friday afternoon and arrive at my house on Monday afternoon.  THAT’S service!!

A bit of a let down..., Caol Ila, Need To Bundle Up

Islay distilleries explained thru Rock and Roll comparisons – Part 3 – Caol Ila & my review of their 2007 Distillery Bottling

Islay distilleries and their whiskies explained through Rock and Roll – Part III (of VIII)

I started this series just two weeks ago and I can say with pure delight that it has, so far, given me my two most trafficked posts (Part one: Bruichladdich as The Sex Pistols, Part two: Ardbeg as Slayer) since I started this blog.  Thanks for tuning and chiming in, y’all!   I really appreciate it.

My two previous posts in this series started off with the whisky review first then the Rock band comparison just after.  I’ll run this one the same way.  Why buck the trend, right?

Caol Ila 2007 Distillery Only bottling 58.4% – £65 at the distillery and they still have some as of August 2011 (when I got my bottle)

On the nose — Smoky, sooty, rusty pipe water…

Hmmm, I’m afraid I might have summed this one up in only 3 words and described it as something you probably don’t want to drink… Let me come back to this one…

One week later and minus my bad mood (seriously)…

While the rusty pipe water is still here, I’m getting some nice oak notes I wasn’t getting before.

Lots of vanilla in here too.  Big unripened peach and pear.

Very industrial smoke – city construction.

On the mouth — Highly medicinal, Listerine (original “flavor) and a boat load of smoke.

Vanilla is huge here too – not to be ignored.

Lots of burnt pie crust and notes of melon along the sides of the tongue (thankfully).

Finish — Lasting and oozing with smoke.

In sum —  Not the most complex whisky and, truth be told, I just don’t really like it so much.  The melon notes aside, it’s got too much of a one track mind: Smoke and vanilla – vanilla and smoke.

While I wouldn’t kick this whisky out of bed for getting cracker crumbs in the sheets, I wouldn’t reach for it either…

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Caol Ila – The Decade! — Caol Ila, you are the 80’s!!  Wait, wait… Let me explain.

Let’s think about it for a second…

Caol Ila is the largest distillery on Islay and it produces over 5 million liters of spirit per year.  Functioning 7 days a week, 95% of the whisky that comes out of Caol Ila is used for Diageo blends.  (Can you say Johnnie Walker?)

Only 5% of Caol Ila whiskies are saved for single malt expressions: 12yo, 18yo and an occasional unpeated, cask strength whisky.

There is also a yearly distillers edition plus a bit of an oddity, a whisky called “Moch” that seems fairly hard to come by.

So, what-in-the-what-in-the-how is Caol Ila the 80’s?  Think about it.  The 80’s was basically a decade where record labels were signing and releasing band after band after band with little, if any dissimilarities.

The 80’s Juggernaut that we know and love churned out hair band after hair band: Trixter, Slaughter, Cinderella, Poison, Great White, Winger, etc…  All of these bands were so very similar, they all added to the “Hair Band Blend.”

What about the various bands that made up the “New Wave Blend” – Flock of Seagulls, The Style Council, Wang Chung, Men Without Hats, Men at Work, etc…

Furthermore, like Caol Ila with their single malts, the 80’s did an amazing job of churning our some fine, fine bands:  The Cure, The Smiths, The The, Violent Femmes, Minor Threat, Fugazi, Rites of Spring, The Pretenders, Polysics, XTC, Joy Division, that one song from Ah-ha, Talking Heads, Suzanne Vega, The Psychedelic Furs, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, U2, Guns and Roses (damn, I hate to admit that I like these guys now), Blondie, etc…

So while I like the 80’s as a decade (and Johnnie Walker as a set of high quality blends), I love the 80’s for it’s true shining stars.

Thank you the 80’s and, THANK YOU, Caol Ila!

I drink booze, and sometimes I talk about it.