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On the nose a classic maritime fragrance. Typical bourbon Bowmore freshness. Heather, grassy and seaspray. A promising start! . On the palate a surprisingly peated punch - wow. Then there is vanilla, tar, bonfires and again heather - simple but so satisfying . The finish lingers with a great balance of maritime notes, creme brûlée and peatsmoke. This is definitely again, a well chosen cask.

This Bowmore definitely has too much sharpness for me and doesn't look round.

Bowmore 2002 - 2020, 18 years, 53% alc. Bottler: Wu Dram Clan. Expansion: Bourbon cask no. Z02/20201 (barrel). Nose: Oily, aromatic, smoky, with its power it looks a little younger than 18 years. Blood oranges, sea air, salt water and shell limestone, plus freshly opened oysters with lemon juice. Fire from flotsam, damp wood and some banana pulp. In addition, I find a pleasant herbal mixture with thyme and sage. Palate: Again, lots of lemon and blood orange, some grapefruit and dragon fruit. There are also maritime aromas, matjes, oysters and sea salt. A herbal note also complements the palate, I think I can even find some lavender. Finish: Long and powerful, the peat smoke comes with a pleasant strength. The citrus fruits recede into the background, replaced by pepper and even more thyme. Conclusion: Profound and complex. 90/100 points (2022)

Sniff: Heaps of lemony smoke, even though it's not overly peated. There's just a high intensity of another kind. Hessian, marram grass, shammy leather. It mellows a little bit, although there's always this sharp edge of white pepper in it. Lemon curd and other not-too-sweet pastry notes. Quite a coastal salinity too. Sip: The palate has a bit of bite, but not too much at all. Lots of barley and lemon, a bit of a pastry like sweet note but luckily not with a dollop of vanilla. Coastal smokiness with a hint of kippers. Dry with hints of white pepper, oak sawdust, marram grass and charcoal. Swallow: A long finish with quite a bit of bite. Interestingly, there's almost no heat when it goes down my throat, which is different from what I expected. The ABV is noticeable for a while in a warming way. More oak, a bit more pastry notes and the lemon is here, but less crisp.

Drinking Date：15/3/2026 Location: Guangzhou Whisky Jockey 2026 - WhiskyJockey

awesome barrel choice from Wu Dram Clan. Airy, warm, never expect too little from such a light colored whisky. Superb in the mouth, what a whisky. An Islay whisky! Init price was quite demanding, 399 Euros is probably not worth if you compare that with the experience, but can easily keep up with a 2000/2021MoS Bowmore (cask #21032). Brilliant finish. Nothing to add. Highly recommandable.

Tasted on 21.07.2026

Papaya Well, well, this whisky was only launched this year and already it has all the hallmarks of a future classic and is hence nowhere to be found – unless you are willing to pay a small fortune. I was lucky enough to get a sample from my Dutch buddy Marcel. It’s quite the classic though: an 18 years old Bowmore that matured on a bourbon cask. So, let’s see what all the fuss is about. The nose is expressive and special on silver polish, ashes and sand. Beach sand, to be precise. Lime juice, chalk and some candle was in a hessian sack. Slightly metallic note. While interesting, my world is not yet upside down. Oily structure, making it nicely mouth coating. Aha! Now this is exciting: hint of tropical fruit (think grapefruit, papaya, passion fruit) overcome by lots a maritime notes like brackish water, oyster sap and pebbles on the beach. Becomes a veritable clash between sweet and salt. Eucalyptus gives it a fresh lift, while the wood delivers lots of pepper. Okay, admitted, this is very good indeed. In the long finish sweet has to recognize salt as the victor, while ashes linger. Oh, my, impressive Bowmore for one less than 20 years old, no two ways about it. But around 400 EUR by now, which is of course ludicrous. Thanks, Marcel.

The current bottling (as of February 5, 2021) by the guys from the Wu Dram Clan is an 18 year old Bowmore, which was bottled from a bourbon barrel with 53% alcohol. The price was around 350 euros for a 700 mL bottle and at this price the expectation is of course very high. Especially since the bottles were sold out incredibly quickly despite the price. I will now find out whether this is unfounded hype or whether I am totally enthusiastic about the bottling. The Bowmore is already a quarter of an hour with a light golden color in the glass. In the nose I am greeted by a wonderfully aromatic smoke that is clearly noticeable, but does not dominate everything. Rather, it acts as a link to connect the individual aromas to form a unit. At the beginning you can see metallic notes that remind me of old iron bars. In addition, there is a saltiness that expands the head cinema a little ... the iron bar is already slightly rusted and belongs to an old railing that is located directly on the empty beach in rough weather. Citrus notes provide tart, fresh aromas of a little lemon juice, pomelo and a freshly sliced grapefruit, which also brings the typical, gentle grapefruit bitterness. A spiciness is added and like all other aromas is enveloped by the smoke. I have to think of a burned down campfire on the beach, where only very small remains glow and the fine ash is carried away by the wind. No comparison to heavy smoke bombs, which are more reminiscent of campfires still burning, where you stand in the middle of the smoke. It's much more subtle and very aromatic here. So far it's not a spectacular bourbon barrel aging, but definitely one of the better Bowmores I've had from a bourbon barrel in a glass so far. I like it! In the mouth it shows its strength, 53% alcohol content cannot be concealed here. The Bowmore pushes hard and peppery, and it tingles the tongue and the inside of the cheeks. The smoke is getting drier, if you can say that at all. Like dry, burned ash and increases in intensity compared to the smell. Now it no longer combines the individual aromas, but puts itself a little in the foreground. The spiciness is powerful with pepper and slight hints of ginger heat, light saltiness spreads in the mouth and reinforces the thought of the beach in bad autumn weather. When the first hint of ash and smoke has disappeared, the citrus fruits make themselves felt again and the slight acidity settles on the back of the cheeks. A little water tames the strength a little, liquorice is now a bit more present and light hints of liquorice and herbs cover the tongue when it slowly goes towards the finish. I can still feel the mixture of liquorice, pepper and herbs there, the saltiness is wonderfully integrated and goes well with the still existing smoke and the herbs and tannins. The citrus fruits as such are barely there for me, but their sourness and freshness still float around in the background. It gets a little bit drier in the mouth, but everything in a very comfortable area for me. The aftertaste of metal may not suit everyone, like licking the metal railing mentioned earlier and feeling the mixture of metal and the salt of the sea air on your tongue. Overall, I have to say that the Bowmore had stronger smoke notes, especially in the mouth, than I expected. In the nose the smoke has a more pleasant texture for me and was excellent as a connecting element, while in the mouth it wanted to flex its muscles a little too much. The combination of burnt ash, citrus notes, saltiness, metal and the spiciness is successful, the alcohol content is great, the whisky is powerful and yet very enjoyable pure. The metal notes in the aftertaste aren't exactly my thing, but that's always a purely subjective thing. I really like the Bowmore very much and I would love to have a whole bottle of it. But the price is too high for me, but it has not been available on the primary market for a long time anyway. I gave 90/100 points with a tendency to 91 points. The more I drink of it, the better I find it ... Congratulations to the guys from the Wu Dram Clan and to everyone who could / wanted to afford such a bottle. A great whisky!

€350 was called here because I tend to prefer Bowmore with sherry/wine aging, no incentive to buy based on the key data. a mistake? Ultimately not. A very tasty Islay malt with a nice complexity on the palate. In the price category, however, I would have expected more than my taste buds are able to open up to me today.

https://www.whiskynotes.be/2021/bowmore/bowmore-2002-wu-dram-clan/