Bowmore Mariner 15

[DrChimRichalds]

Anyone have any tasting notes on the Bowmore Mariner 15? Is this finished in port pipes? Not much info on the net regarding this expression, any help would be appreciated thanks.

[bamber]

Hi Ron,

I don't think it has any port influence. It certainly tastes and looks sherried and is probably a vatting of sherry and bourbon casks (80 - 20, say).

It's been a long time since I tasted it as like a lot of people I was chased off by the "perfume".

[Reggaeblues]

I remember it as being one of the "rougher" Islays...nothing particularly subtle about it. None of the delicacy i associate with my one (delicious) bottle of the "old" 17, and to some extent a good bottle of the 12, and certainly no wine/sherry influence that I can recall, such as i have enjoyed with the Dusk, or "old" Darkest.

I would have stood it next to my Lahroaigs meself. Lots of fun nonetheless.

Just looking up Jim's notes from the 2006 Bible. He describes it as " Uncultured and tattooed...asking for a punch-up! Smoke all the way...A roughneck...!"

He gives it 89, so we agree on one Bowmore at least!(He hated the Darkest...)

Nor do i remember any noxious perfume...

[jazz lover]

This one does not have a port finish,
it has a lovely earthy fern smell.
This is one of my favorites
even better than the 17yr. IMO.

[Toronto_Andrew73]

not as good as the 12 yr imo...I found the 15 is more winey & astringent. I am curious to try 15+ Bowmores though, see how even more wood tastes..maybe a couple more years will balance it out.

[Ganga]

Hasn't the Mariner 15 been discontinued? Current Bowmore lineup that I see has a 15 yo Darkest now (and no Darkest NAS). It's been several years since I had the Mariner 15 but I don't recall it being finished in port.

[The Third Dram]

In its day, the Mariner seemed to ably 'fill that gap' between the 12YO and 17YO. I always found that, when compared to the 17YO, the 15YO Mariner possessed a tad more sea-salt and sandy peat than its older sibling, but slightly less of that opulent fruit. And for this reason, I would have guessed that it incorporated a slightly lower proportion of Sherry cask matured spirit in its makeup than the others.

[pkt77242]

I've got a bottle of the Mariner open right now and I have a feeling it will be sitting there for a while. I find that the lavender and FWP just make it hard to drink. It is not the worst malt I have ever had but it is definitely towards the bottom. I find myself pouring a small dram every couple of weeks to see if I have grown to like it.

Sean