Whiskeytemple_Vladimir 
Аромат – торф, доминиран от шери нотки /уискито прекарва 12 години в бъчви от бърбън и 3 години в бъчви от шери/, сладост, пикантност, сол, нотка мед, доза ликьорност, спомен за меласа, черен пипер, слаб шоколад и бонбони „пияни вишни“. С добавянето на вода ароматът почти не се разви. Вкус – сух, „торфен“ /опушен/, пиперлив, нотка „водни боички“, сладникав, сушени плодове, стафиди, слаба горчивина, спомен за аптекарско шише. С вода – повече сладост и пикантност. Финал – среден до дълъг, сушени плодове, пикантност, „торфът“ отново е налице, спомен за дим от комин. С вода – горчивина, сущени плодове, обвити в пушечна сладост.
Оценка: 83/100. Цена: между 80 и 90 лв.
Bowmore Darkest 15 y.o. single malt whisky
What can we say about the distillery? Besides it was allegedly founded in 1779, making it one of the oldest in Scotland, the people from Bowmore state that their whisky is distinguished by lower levels of smokiness, in comparison with other island competitors. Their repository or warehouse lies below sea level and the ocean water constantly crashes into its walls, for which is also said to be the oldest functionally differentiated for the purpose of aging the whisky, across Scotland. The name of the distillery carries ancient Celtic spirit and translated means „great sea reef“ or „sea rock“. Pride is the fact that part of the malt is dried in the distillery and during this process the malt is manually turned every four hours. I came across information that only part of the malt is dried within the Bowmore, which is reasonable considering the large amount of whisky produced and the need for plenty of barley – Bowmore has an annual capacity of 2,000,000 litres, which are bottled at a facility in Springburn, Glasgow. Another interesting fact of the production activity is the way of spending the unnecessary heat that is released in the process – it is used for heating the public pool, built in a building once belonged to the distillery. The beginning of the distillery’s activity was set by a local merchant, John Simpson, who was replaced by James Mutter, who also also had farming interests and was diplomatic representative of the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, and Brazil in Scotland. In 2007, a bottle of whisky bottled during his governance in 1850, was sold for around £30,000. In the early 20th century, the ownership changed several times. World War II imposed the conversion of the buildings in headquarters of the British military units. In 1963, the distillery was acquired by the Morrison Bowmore company. The large Japanese company Suntory was a shareholder in Morrison Bowmore, and subsequently purchased the whole company. In the following years much efforts have been made for raising the prestige of the brand, and currently it occupies the leading positions in sales of whisky from the island of Islay, led by Laphroaig, also owned by Suntory. Besides moments of glory, the Bowmore’s history knows and moments of ups and downs. In particular, part of the distillates from the early 90’s were shunned by the connoisseurs as some of them found aroma and taste, that designated as „‘French Whore Perfume“. I have not come across such samples, and I can’t say what exactly this fragrance contains. The current representatives of the brand definitely have nothing to do with France. 🙂
My notes. Aroma – peat, dominated by sherry notes /the whisky matures 12 years in bourbon barrels and 3 years in Oloroso sherry casks/, sweetness, spiciness, salt, a touch of honey, a dose of liqueury, a hint of molasses, black pepper, light chocolate and ‘drunken cherries’ candies. With the addition of water the scent remained almost unchanged. Taste – dry, peaty, peppery, a note of „watercolors“, sweetish, dried fruits, raisins, light bitterness, a hint of pharmacy bottle. With water – more sweetness and spiciness. Finish – medium to long, dried fruits, spiciness, the peat is here again, a memory of smoke from the chimney. With water – bitterness, dried fruits, wrapped in smoky sweetness. Assessment: 83/100. Price: between 80 and 90 lv.
In summary: a whisky, whose fragrance is dominated by sherry aromas, while the taste and aftertaste are controlled by peat.
