A trio of Ardnahoe, Bowmore and Laphroaig
We have three tasting notes for you today, while we continue to travel past the Islay distilleries that each have their own day during the Feis Ile festival, that is in full swung as we speak. New to the fold is of course Ardnahoe, that released a special Feis Ile expression for the first time in 2024. I managed to taste that one in January of 2025, and I was very pleased with it. All on bourbon.
I hope to catch the new Feis Ile release eventually, but writing tasting notes for that is more difficult. I saw it was again a full bourbon version, now 6 years old. Anyway, luckily we have a new core range release to sink our teeth in. We add to that two stunning drams provided by Bowmore and Laphroaig, because … why not?
Ardnahoe Bholsa, bottled at 50 % abv
First things first: A new Ardnahoe, predominantly matured in Oloroso sherry casks.
Upon Sipping: Young peated Islay – to me – works best on just bourbons casks. Ardnahoe has already proven that it handles sherry maturation very well with previous expressions. On first sniff, this Bholsa seems a bit secluded, with the peat dialled down too much in comparison with other expressions. Instead, we get more pronounced plums, dates, and smoky berries. Certainly not unpleasant, but different. On the palate, there is lots of sticky brine and delicious dark chocolate, an unusual mix perhaps, but it delivers. I put in some water to release more aroma from the glass. This helps put to the front the delightful peat that seems to be a signature in these early years of Ardnahoe. But yeah, I have to conclude this is one of the least expressive I have tasted so far. The taste became more silky with water but took away some of the charm of the undiluted sip. In general, the wonderful chocolate smoke emerges always, and that is a good trait. On repeated tasting (I had enough cl to taste this over the course of several days) I pick up more ashes on the nose. On my last flight, I do think the Ardnahoe Bholsa redeems itself admirably.
Word to the Wise: Not the easiest dram to get into straight away, but when you get yourself a bottle, it will certainly grow on you. Again a very impressive release by Ardnahoe.
Score: 85 points.
Bowmore 1996, 27 years old, bottled at 50,2 % abv
First things first: A Bowmore in the revered “Hand-filled at the distillery” livery, this one distilled on 14 May 1996 and bottled on 11 October 2023, making this a 27 year old matured in sherry. The cask was # 1458.
Upon Sipping: A true sherry monster that has a lot of red fruit to offer, but the Bowmore character quickly makes the ashes and peat work into a cigar leaves combination. Dark coffee, lots of chocolate too, but the really dark type. One could say this Bowmore might well be left in the cask for too long, but the nosing is delicious because of it. Let’s see what the palate has to offer. Ooh, it is silky soft to begin with, until it becomes very dry and full of rich chocolate. The typical Bowmore fruitiness is there, but hidden deep in the depths of the sherry maturation. The complexity and balance on this Hand-filled Bowmore is stunningly perfect, considering this is a single cask. With water, the drinkability of this Bowmore becomes dangerously high, without losing an ounce of its quality. On the finish, subtle ashes mix with the cigar leaves, which have now pushed back the chocolate notes.
Word to the Wise: A true wonder of single cask maturation that would be a great argument in a battle of batch versus single cask bottlings. As it is, this is brilliant stuff. Maybe a bit too heavy on the sherry, but if you try, you will find the Bowmore soul well enough.
Score: 91 points.
Laphroaig 1987, 17 year old, bottled at 51,9 % by Jack Wiebers
First things first: This 1987 Laphroaig matured for 17 years in a sherry cask and yielded 180 bottles in 2004, when it was bottled by Jack Wiebers in the Auld Distillers Collection.
Upon Sipping: Dustiness and apricot caught in one sniff. Some glue. Autumnal impressions like rotting leaves on earthen forest soil. A tad austere maybe, but very mature. The taste puts us smack in the middle of Islay. Lots of fruit on the tongue though, with peer and apple and the apricot makes a showing too. Despite losing some alcohol along the way in the years of maturation, this is still not an easy dram. Let’s see if water opens it up a bit more. Yes, that works, the character changes quite a bit, more in the direction of an old rum. On the palate, the Laphroaig 1987 is now rather schizophrenic, with a meaty side but also some toffee. On the finish it becomes a bit too dry. [This is where I took a break of 20 minutes before returning to the glass.] More fruits comes out, but it remains all very centred in the middle. On the finish the dry note has elements of rubber now. There is a lot going on, but this whisky is a bit all over the place.
Word to the Wise: Not an easy one, but firmly establishes 1987 as an important vintage to look for if you are a fan of Laphroaig.
Score: 89 points.