Bowmore 21 12 months Outdated ‘Château Lagrange’ is the second launch of a restricted version sequence of French Oak expressions from Bowmore distillery. The pink wine barriques come from Château Lagrange, a Grand Cru Classé vineyard in Bordeaux.
Sourcing barrels from well-known wineries is a manner of co-branding that makes individuals suppose the standard of the wine will replicate on the whisky. In actuality although, I don’t suppose barrels from sure crus work higher than different.
Bowmore 21 yo ‘Château Lagrange’ – French oak barriques (48,4%, OB 2021)
Nostril: funnily aromatic, with hints of bergamot but in addition lavender and Thai basil. Behind this there are Muscat grapes, cranberries and cassis. Salty sea breeze, floral honey and raisins. After some time the funky fruits merge right into a extra classical mixture of mango, pink grapefruit and peat smoke, albeit with the lightest trace of cleaning soap.
Mouth: nonetheless fairly floral and aromatic. No FWP, thoughts you. Citrus and darker berries, mixing with acrid smoke and leathery notes. Barely skinny, lacking richer fruits. It turns into bittersweet with extra tannins from the wooden. Nuts with a bitter chocolate coating, in addition to a light-weight coastal contact.
End: medium size, with an rising bitter / mineral word. Hazelnuts and bitter fruits.
The aromatic notes, the bitterness and tannins of the wooden and the shortage of depth make this a fairly disappointing launch, regardless of the good flashes of fruits. Grand Cru Classé doesn’t imply something with regards to whisky maturation, in my humble opinion. Whereas full bottles appear to be bought out, The Whisky Trade continues to be promoting samples.
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