Bowmore 12 Year Enigma

Bowmore is a distillery that hasn’t graced the pages of Scotch Addict all to often not for any particular reason other than there are just so many fine scotches! Bowmore, an Islay, was founded in 1779 and has all the characteristics you associate with Islays. Smoke. Peat. Both in spades.

We had friends visit this past week and, knowing how much of a fan of Scotch I am, brought something they figured I hadn’t tried. Bowmore, in addition to its core range and limited editions, has started a fun series in the travel retail market in which they try to accentuate a characteristics of their scotch. The four editions are:

  • Surf
  • 12-Year Enigma
  • 15-Year Mariner
  • 17 Year
  • Cask-Strength

The one my friends brought was the Bowmore Enigma, a 12 year old expression that has a rich deep caramel color I really love staring into (I don’t really like caramel, but I love that color in scotch!). A nice 40% abv, I’m really eager to crack this one liter of goodness open at the next opportunity.

The official tasting notes of the Bowmore Enigma are:
Deep bronze in colour, the classic Bowmore smokiness is infused with sweet sherry and hitns of heather honey. These initial sherry flavours are followed by a more robust smokiness with a trace of fresh lemon zest. The finish is beautifully balanced sweet peat smoke with a hint of sea salt.

Notes from the back of the bottle:

  • Colour: Deep bronze
  • Nose: The classic Bowmore smokiness is infused with sweet sherry and hints of heather honey.
  • Palate: Initial sweet sherry flavours are followed by a more robust smokiness with a trace of fresh lemon zest.
  • Finish: The finish is beautifully balanced sweet peat smoke with a hint of sea salt.

I don’t normally associate all these fruity flavors with an Islay but I’m eager to see whether they play nicely together!

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