After yesterday’s Ardbeg , It’s time for a cracking dram from the SMWS. at a much nicer price (If you are a member and was lucky enough to buy one in time). They have decided to bottle a really nice edition for this year’s Feis, a 17 years old cask , distilled 25th September 1997 at 57.1% abv, refill ex-sherry butt which yeielded 594 bottles.
So, a Dark , Smouldering Flamenco Gypsy you say? Let’s give this peaty dark dram a try, shall we?
SMWS Fies Ile 2015 edition – 3.243 – “Dark, smouldering flamenco gypsy [Bowmore 17 yo] , 57.1% (originally £80 for members) 
Nose: That’s some deep dark sherry going on for sure. Dark dried fruit. Big smoky notes. Smoked meat , wine , prunes and old leather upholstery. Hints of rum and Demerara sugar. Deep and multi faceted.
Palate: Sweet peaty jam. Chocolate and raisin. Prunes and chilly. Seaweed and cured bacon. Espresso and earth. Tons of peat. Marinated meat. Wood smoke. Berries. Crème de Cassis.
Finish: Long smoky and sweet. With the dried fruit and ripe plums dancing a long way through the peat and smoke. Bitter towards the very end. Glorious.
Bottom line:
Now, this is a Bowmore I love. Really awesome deep badass sherry notes, on top of the lovely smoke, dried fruit and leather. That Gypsy rocks! What I am also loving is that it’s not as fragrant and perfumed as some Bowmores (in others words, no FWP, or that soapiness that makes me sick). At amost 60% it packs a lot of punch, and it’s quite complex and rewarding : a dram you can sit with for a long time enjoying and exploring (and there’s quite a bit to explore). Superb selection of cask there guys! Sorry I was not able to secure a bottle for myself. This is how you do it! watch, and learn.
Score: 92/100
Cheer for the dram Niko!