Bowmore 1996 "Aniseed Pastille"

Bowmore 1996 "Aniseed Pastille", 46 %

Bowmore is one of the distilleries where I have mixed experience. This was going to be my first meeting with the independent bottler Wemyss Malts and their Bowmore "Aniseed Pastille".

This is a brand new bottling. The whisky was distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2014 into 344 bottles.

Bowmore "Aniseed Pastille" is not (at least yet) available in Norway or Sweden, but you can buy it online.

Nose (21/25): Not a typical Bowmore at first. The latest ones I have tried have been too much perfume to me. Flowers on this one, as on many Bowmores, but not exactly perfume. Delicate smoke came along after a while, very carefully. Actually the smell improved after tasting it. More peat and smoke. Light. Citrus. Wet wood. The whisky kind of opened up.

Taste (21/25): Smoke and peat. A hint of licorice. Full. Flowers. Ash.

Finish (20/25): A lot of licorice. Wet wood. Smoke. Salt. Oily. Ash, oak, dry. The finish reminded me of the Norwegian lozenges Dent - some Eucalyptus before it gets very dry.

Balance (21/25): Well, I do like licorice, but that was not enough for this Bowmore to get a higher score. A descent dram though. And the name was quite fitting.

Score (83/100)

- Tone