Bowmore Tempest limited edition, launched in 2009, is a balanced yet complex dram that really captures the spirit of the distillery on Islay. Released as a small batch of only 2,000 cases, the whisky has lain for 10 years in first fill Bourbon casks in vaults just inches from the battering waves of Loch Indaal – the result is a whisky bright summer gold in colour. The nose is engulfed by earthy smoke and a sea salt brine. A little water brings out notes of crème brulée with orange blossom and butter cream

The judges notes read as follows; Aromatic nose with citrus and smoke and some fine malt backing. Hints of peat. Rich and full in the mouth with great balance and some delicate characters. Citrus makes a strong statement in the mid palate then the peat, smoke and malt get back into full gear. Hints of dark chocolate appear before the youthful finish.

Bowmore Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a multi-award winner. Most recently, Bowmore 12 year old received an acclaimed Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In 2008, the single malt scooped the Trophy for Best Spirit Range and Trophy for Best Overall Spirit at the International Spirits Challenge Awards. The 2008 Malt Advocate Whisky Awards also honoured the Black Bowmore with the Scotch Malt Whisky of the Year Award and the White Bowmore was awarded a place in the Top Ten New Whiskies for 2008.

Colour: Bright summer gold
Nose: Earthy smoke and brine water, notes of crème brulée with orange blossom with butter cream
Palate: Bursts of citrus, lemons and orange with the distinct peaty Islay character and a sea salt tang.
Finish: Long, lingering yet clean and fresh
Strength: 55.3% alc. (Natural cask strength)

Fluffy fruit cake with deep runny brandy, nutty bread, and a good coal smoke round off the nose.

On the palate, the 16 Manzanilla shines even more intensely. Dark, unsugared chocolate take a turn for fresh herbs and dried nuts. The feel is light for such a deeply flavoured whisky. And the sweetness is mellow, barely noticeable.

The finish is moderate but satisfying, with more of the fruit notes and some woodiness.

Snow, fireside and a big comfortable leather sofa are not included in the package.

The Three Wood’s selling point is, unfortunately, what lets it down for some drinkers.

Certainly, they are not lying when they tell you it has spent time in casks that impart the necessary bourbon and sherry influences on the flavour.

But for some, this is not exactly very subtle and in fact interferes with the deeper pleasures that could have been derived from the inherent goodness of this whisky’s heart.

Well, let them have turpentine.

The perfumy nose from all three woods prepares us for the magnificence of this drink. It is at once spicy, smoky and rich in fruity notes, all held together by the heady sherry and bourbon undersides.

The palate is intense but also welcoming. There is further warmth to be had in the deep scores, made out by dark chocolate, toffee and spices.

The finish is more bourbon than sherry, but is still fruity and marked by tobacco leaves.

For a massive whisky, this is remarkably drinkable.

Oranges, juicy apples and berries hold up the nose, along with a grassy air and some vanilla beans. The nose on this is refreshing yet playful – like a childhood vacation.

The palate of the 8 is down to earth and grainy, with a steadiness that is not overwhelmed by the sweetness. It is cut through by a refreshing top that brings the palate to life.

Its slightly spicy finish is smooth and fades off cleanly, but just fast enough for you to want the next sip.

It took a while to realise why the Hazelburn 8 is paired with the Auchentoshan 12 at our seating. But just a short while. These two are soul mates!

The 12 is all that the Hazelburn is, but with more restraint.

The fruity nose is clearly on the 12, but with a mannerism more reticent. More prominent are the fresh notes of toned down vanilla and nice spice. Elsewhere, this would have been aggressive nasal behaviour, but seated next to the Hazelburn 8, this Auchentoshan is the teacher’s pet.

It is less shy on the palate. The fruity flavours are more refreshing here but they nonetheless stand up to the more disruptive spice notes, helped along by a lightly flavoured nectar.

The finish is not gentle, more like a tight hug. Fairly lengthy, with some lingering spice and fruits.

This CV more than serves that purpose, but the result is where Springbank’s risk-taking might unravel.

One key problem here is the assertiveness of the nose, which is a pleasant enough mix of spice and thick sweetness, unfortunately overwhelmed by an unpleasant burnt tinge. But the Springbank characteristics are all there: dried fruits, mild brine, subtle earthiness.

These bring out the distinctive palate that we have come to associate with the label. Most distinct of these are the dark and rich flavours that accompany the magnificent dried fruits. The accent is a sweet spice that is pleasant and mellow, not sharp.

The CV finishes adequately, with no major surprise. It is slightly dry and a little smoky, but holds up its end of the bargain.

As a representation of the best of Springbank, the CV is a no-b.s. showpiece. But that also means that it has not been allowed any personality of its own.

By that calculation, the 10 is a far more daring whisky, with an overall taste experience more complete and varied than the CV.

The nose is a mixed basket of fruits so fresh you can almost feel the crunch of the apples and the zest of the orange. There is also a faint but discernible scent of quince in the mix. All of these are rounded off by some woodiness, along with root and earth.

The palate has a little peatiness that might catch some of us unexpected, but this is not intrusive, and rather complements the thickness of the feel. Spices and dried petal flavours come through with some flourish.

On the back end, the various elements calm down on a lengthy finish, with some residual peat.

Oh, and take your time with them.

The 12 had a slightly harsh initial nose that was almost industrial in characteristic, but this disappeared very quickly, like fear dissolved. What remains is a robust set of deep citrusy tones with just that bit of ash.

The citruses come in even more prominently on the palate, but more orange than lemon, adding some zing to the deep, rich flavour. The depth also extends to the full texture that stays in the mouth.

Each sip comes with a long hold that is well tuned to the overall sweetness of the whisky. The finish is reassurance that a strong whisky can be friendly, too.

Whisky makers do not like using the word ‘pungent’ to describe any aspect of their product. But that is exactly what gives some whiskies their personality.

The Springbank 10 year old 100 proof is one such specimen. It has a nose that can best be described as pungent. But it is one that hits you in a pleasant way. Think of juliennes of ginger being toasted over white coal. It perks up all your other senses in time to catch a whiff of evening air lingering in the outer edges.

There is something coastal about the palate. And one that mingles with some grass and bright fruit. The taste is just the right mix of herb and dried seeds, given a little bite from remnants of the toasty ginger on the nose.

What remains is a long finish that is layered and uncompromising about staying in your mind. Take your time, it says.

It isn’t.

The earlier edition of the Springbank 15, so clumsily described as the ‘old packaging’, is anything but that.

It is Springbank’s tradition at its best. A stable hold on the whiff, taking its time for the full array of rich malty nose to emerge. And while it is at it, those dreamy hints of fruits and toasty flavours also come through on the back on the nose.

On the tip, the flavour is much more hurried. The syrupy quality is immediate, as are the slightly spicy and nutty accents. What was initially suspected as a kind of saltiness actually turns out to be an additional dimension to the nutty tones of the taste.

And as if to complete its rhythmic variation (does your glass play music?), the finish held off for a quite a while. This time the syrup subsided to reveal a far more subtle sweetness that is well grounded.

By comparison, the newer edition of the Springbank 15 is a lot less challenging, giving us what we have come to expect of Campbelltown. Mind you, that is not a weakness but an attraction.

The toffee and caramel notes are present in the initial nose, but these merged together fairly quickly to take on a more vanilla-like tone. There is also some fruitiness, but more of a trace than a defining presence.

And the subtlety of that nose makes the palate more dramatic than we expect. There is some heaviness that grounds the flavour, as though a bar of dark chocolate came by to drop off some fruit and nuts but itself decided not to stay. Is this what reluctance tastes like? We can do with more of it.

The finish is reasonable (dry, slightly oaky), not spectacular, but we can only take so much drama with one drink anyway.

Matured in mostly bourbon casks, the 100 Proof 10 y.o is considered to be “Springbank in its purest form with its salty briny flavor”.  The 57% ABV is guaranteed to blow your nose off before you smell any ginger notes. It is crisp and earthy If you find that a little harsh, add a splash of water.  The strong flavors swirl and lighten ever so slightly to bring out the full bodied marzipan and citrus taste of the 100 Proof.

We also took in the new expression of the cask strength 12 y.o which is supposed to be able to replace and match up to the 100 Proof in terms of overall oomph.  As a 12 y.o, it’s less harsh.  But don’t be deceived by its age.  Its ABV of 54.6% makes a difference to the nose as the vanilla notes come up strong and vibrant.  The first sip bellies the almost oily sweet toffee finish.  A little dash of water does not dilute the light peat within.  Quite a surprising winner from Springbank Distillery.

One of the last surviving producers of Campbeltown single malts on the southern Kintyre Peninsula, Springbank Distillery houses Springbank, Longrow and Hazelburn.  The distillery has pushed out a new bottling for the 15 y.o.  Curious to see if there is a marked difference to the taste of the old and the new, we do tasting of both. For a comparison, we sampled the two bottles of 15 y.o side by side.

In the photo above, the new bottling is the one on the left with a green ‘S’ and the name of the distillery below.  The one on the right is what we’ve always known.  Matured in sherry casks, the 15 y.o is supposed to be an ideal digestif.  The new bottling is a little more aggressive in terms of the smokiness.  Somehow, the sherry cask provides a sharper nose with a distinct black pepper-ish aftertaste with very subdued fruity hints.

Honestly, we prefer the older bottling. The nose is less spicy. There’s an easiness which comes through its fruity flavors and rich, giving an almost rounded aftertaste of dark chocolate and raisin.  There aren’t that many crates of the old bottling of 15 y.o lying around.  We joked that since we unanimously liked the older bottling, this would be a good time to keep them to savor in time to come.

We should sample the new bottling again another evening, just to be sure that it’s a matter of individual preference rather than a difference in the richness of the whisky that the older bottling is known for.