Nearly loved Bowmore 12 - any advice for my dream dram?

[tonyddi]

Hi everyone.

This is my first post on the boards, so I'm looking forward to chatting to you all. I'm pretty new to the world of whisky, only really enjoying my first glass of whisky about 6 months ago - but I'm doing my best to catch up now! So forgive me if my knowledge and use of the jargon is a little shaky.

I recently tried a miniature of the Bowmore 12 (bottled at 43%). I came so close to loving it but, in the end, I found that the lavender/floral flavour became a little too cloying and was it not really to my taste.

That said, there were lots of other elements of the Bowmore 12 that I loved. Particularly the hints of dark chocolate and malty assam tea which I detected on the nose (and towards the end of the finish). The combination with the peat I really enjoyed, giving more dimensions than the full-on peat rush which I so enjoyed with the Ardbeg Ten.

So, my question is: can anyone recommend me another whisky (from Bowmore, or any other distillery) which would combine specifically the peat/chocolate/matly-assam notes of the Bowmore 12 but without the strong lavender?

Thanks!

[DaleNY]

Try Springbank 12 (the 100 proof bottling if you can get it). Also, try Glenturret bottling of around the same age. What I've had was an 11 year G&M (Gordon & Macphail) bottling. It isn't as peaty but has a subtleness of peat on the back end that is inspiring. Another interesting peated dram I've recently enjoyed is Isle of Jura, Prophecy highly peated.

[tonyddi]

Excellent, thanks Dale. I'll search those out and see if I can get those on my next order!

[Klondike]

I tend to find chocolatey notes in Sherrycask matured whiskies, so perhaps and Islay malt finished in those would fit youyr taste? Bowmore makes a 15 YO (called Darkest), that may be one to try and Ardbeg makes one called Uigedail... The Ardbeg is bottled at something like 54,2 abv. so you msy need to add some water to make it fit your taste... Also I believe the Lagavulin Distillers Edition is Sherrycask matured, the 1987 was an epiphany for me, though I haven't tried many of the recent bottlings...I found a heavy dose of chocolate in this one, though not over the top, really sublimely balanced, but later vintages weren't as good, specifically the 1990... Anyway, good luck in your search and welcome to the board!

[Drrich1965]

Doing a search of my tasting notes, chocolate came up three times for Scapa, twice for Glenfiddich, once for G len Esk, once for Inchgower, one for a Glen Burgie, once for Ben Nevis, and once for a Glencadem.

[tonyddi]

Brilliant. Thanks for the tips, everyone. I'll see if I can hunt those down.

By the way, I recently got myself a bottle of the Ardbeg Uigeadail and, while I didn't get chocolate notes so much out that that particular whisky myself, that stuff is absolutely stunning