Having sherry and peat together in a dram is like having chocolate with peanut butter, or having a beer while you grill. They just go well together. Bowmore OBs tend to get some hate around here, but I still wanted to try this out and see for myself. 12 Years in the bourbon casks and then off to the final 3 in Oroloso.
Price: $75 for 750ml
Distilled/Owned by: Bowmore / Beam Suntory
Region: Islay
43% ABV
Aged For: 15 Years
Mashbill: 100% malted barley
Cask Type: 12 years in ex-bourbon, finished 3 years in Oloroso sherry casks
Chill Filtered: Yes
Color Added: Yes
Color: Chestnut, and you can tell they liberally helped this one along
Drank: Neat, in a glencairn
Nose: Smokey, raisin, toffee, vanilla, apple, and very gentle peat.
Taste: Watery, but a bit too sweet. Oranges, very slight smoke, walnuts, and almonds.
Finish: Medium in length and intensity, with fruitiness and sherry, as well as some vanilla oak.
Thoughts: A good nose and finish, that are let down by a mediocre palate. I had a chance to dry the Devil’s Cask Batch 2 recently which address my issues with the 15 Darkest, but the jump in price is insane.
Score: 81 out of 100
