Bowmore Kranna Dubh 43% NV

Professional reviews

Serge Valentin (90)

Colour: gold – amber.

Nose: starts very smoky and with quite some sherry (dry like a fino) and something rather vegetal (smoked tea, moss, fern.) Hints of tropical fruits after that (more oranges studded with cloves than passion fruits or mangos). Gets smokier with time, with notes of coal oven… And then lots of kumquats together with something clearly farmy (wet hay, ‘clean’ manure). Also dried kelp. Rather beautiful I must say.

Mouth: a bit dry at the attack, tannic, but not overly so, quite bold considering it’s only at 43% ABV. Quite citrusy again, ‘candied’, with a little peat and an enjoyable smokiness. Goes on with bitter chocolate, toffee, hints of rosehip tea, crystallised orange zests…

The finish is rather long but alas, quite tannic, drying, almost like over-infused tea. But that’s no big flaw, the whole is great whisky, with rather more body than the older Seadragon (the ceramic version).