Bowmore Black Rock is part of the distillery’s travel retail range. It was matured predominantly in Spanish ex-sherry casks.
Actually it’s part of a trilogy, alongside Bowmore Gold Reef and Bowmore White Sands, both ex-bourbon wood.
Bowmore Black Rock
(40%, OB 2014, travel retail)
Nose: not entirely fresh sherry, which luckily isn’t too loud. A bit of rubber, some organic notes as well. Toffee notes and pepper. Milk chocolate with hints of vanilla. Light smoke and seaweed.
Mouth: oily, with some salty peat, a bit of iodine and stewed fruits. Caramel. Cocoa sweetness. Soft spices and an ever so light smoky note. Rather thin.
Finish: not too long, with a focus on drying spices and bittersweet cocoa notes.
If you think how focused, clean and rewarding modern Bowmore can be, even at a younger age, then this is simply below par. It lacks punch and freshness. Another example of a tax free expression that is just so-so. Around € 45 for a litre bottle.
Score: 76/100