Bowmore Bw5 Speciality Drinks Elements of Islay 50.2% NAS

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (90)

Bw5 (50.2%, Speciality Drinks Ltd, Elements of Islay, 2015) Five stars Haha, it’s NAS, but TWE’s website tells us that it’s actually a 16 yo, the youngest component having been distilled in 1996. Funny that they felt the need to disclose that… (and a good sign overall, if you ask me). Colour: straw. Nose: sharp, ‘millimetric’, with some gentian, green olives, Chablis, and whiffs of damp hessian. That’s all folks, but that’s already quite a lot. With water: fresh paint. Boat paint, of course. Mouth (neat): a blade. Bitter almonds, seawater, kippers, putty, more salty olives. With water: more of all that, with just a little more roundness. Drops of maple syrup, perhaps. Finish: medium to long, still rounded, with a little smoked salmon. Salty, smoky, and lemony aftertaste. A touch of sucrose. Comments: the purest form of modern Bowmore. It’s got it all going on.