I’ve been so looking forward to The Bowmore Dinner. It is the night I get to sample the last of Bowmore’s Trilogy- the Gold.

I was a very happy girl when the first drink served was a bottle of Dom Perignon 2000. Then, the table simply couldn’t tear itself away from theBowmore 25 y.o. For the purpose of refreshing the palate for tasting, I chose still water over sparkling to accompany the dinner.  I’m not inclined to share the full menu that is specifically arranged and intended to complement the different years of Bowmore whisky. Les Amis‘ Chef Armin has worked really hard to create this 4-course whisky dinner that is on par with the finest restaurants in the world.

The pairing that I enjoyed the most was the Bowmore 15 y.o with the slow cooked Atlantic salmon with braised leeks and white truffle foam. Those truffles went superb with the characteristic peat of the Bowmore 15 y.o. Very invigorating. The dish that went strangely with the Bowmore 18 y.o was the chargrilled Black Angus beef entrecôte, mushrooms, spinach and pommes maxim. The beef was too robust for the placid Bowmore 18 y.o. imho, I think the Chef could have chosen a cut of ribeye or wagyu where the fattier meats would have better complemented the mellow single malt.

The casks of the Gold Bowmore are aged below sea level in Bowmore’s coastal cellar – the Number 1 vault. The oldest of them all, this Gold Bowmore is the third and final release of the 3 limited editions:

- Black Bowmore – 827 Bottles Released in 2007
- White Bowmore – 732 Bottles Released in 2008
- Gold Bowmore – 701 Bottles Released in Fall 2009

Out of the 701 bottles (retail) of Gold Bowmore released worldwide, Singapore has been allocated 20 bottles. The 44-year old single malt whisky is surprisingly not peaty. There is only a light trace of Bowmore’s trademark peat. Upon nosing, there was plenty of curiosity. The moment the whisky touched the lips, the exclamations began.

Well aware of how the Black and White Bowmore tasted, we knew the Gold wouldn’t deviate from its recurrent theme of tropical fruits. The tasting notes declared that the aromas would remind us of vanilla, papaya and passionfruit. But we decided to chuck those aside and create our own. While the western hemisphere might struggle to find descriptions for the flavors, tonight’s table had no such issues.

“Very ‘lemak’!” yelled one. We chortled. Only in Singapore. Truly, there was this coconut tone somewhere. “Mango, cassis, ribena!” Another proffered. I frowned. There was something strikingly familiar. It was a fruit I had eaten just the night before.“Pomelo,” I pronounced. “Pink!” And yes, the table agreed that while guava and lychee flavors stood out strongly for the White Bowmore, pomelo seemed to be the underlying taste of the Gold.

At the end of the evening, I am totally wowed by the subtlety and strength of the Gold Bowmore. Thanks, Joyce and Khoon, for the gracious invitation to such a beautiful evening.

Balls, benefits and galas don’t interest me as much as attending an official whisky launch.  Today marked the official launch of the Bowmore whisky in Singapore.

It was a privilege to be invited to sample the legendary Black Bowmore, and be among the few to taste the yet-to-be-botted White Bowmore.

Held at Bar Opiume, Indochine Waterfront on 11 May 2008, the tasting venue was lovingly done up with all the brand motifs, right down to the classy bronze hot-stamped black napkins.  They even have the cutest slab of dark chocolate to accompany the maltiness of the whisky.

Look at the colors of the whisky. There was the Bowmore 12 y.o, the 15 y.o and the 18 y.o. Then, they brought out the Black and the White.

I was completely blown away by the Black Bowmore. Full bodied, its intense richness was one that I had never tasted.  We all thought that there was this strong smell of grapefruit in its chocolatey fumes. There were whiffs of ginger and cinnamon.

Each of the 827 bottles of Black Bowmore is priced at approximately USD6,000. Obviously, a glass of Black Bowmore ought to be savored fully on its own, without water. But I needed just a hint of ice in it to fully bring out the fruity flavors in the midst of the distinctive Bowmore smokiness.

The White Bowmore had been distilled. But it hadn’t even been priced. It wouldn’t be too far away from the Black. True to its name, the White Bowmore was much lighter in color than the copper hues of the Black.  On the other hand, the White Bowmore was milder than the Black. Bottled in the same year of 1964, the White was aged 43yrs old.  The nose was faintly reminiscent of the frangipani. The vanilla fumes were tinged with the classic smokiness.  Still, I wasn’t too impressed by the White. But some of the friends were. They gushed over how subtle the White was.

It was quite hilarious how we were so so focused on whisky for 2 hours this afternoon. Some swore they smelt durian in the Black. Seriously now. Heheheh. I was very proud of my lads. They had come a long way from being vodka-loving peeps to whisky afficionados. We unanimously thought that the 12 y.o. tasted, a little, ahem, immature. I’m already quite a fan of Bowmore.

It was a very thoughtful gesture from the organizers- The Whisky Store, to hand door gifts of miniature bottles of Bowmore to the guests before we strolled away in the late afternoon sun.