Scotch Whisky Review #272: Lady of the Glen Bowmore 23 Year (1997)

Distillery: Bowmore

Bottler: Lady of the Glen

Region: Islay

Age: 23 year. Distilled May 7th, 1997, Bottled November 2nd, 2020.

ABV: 42.4%

Cask Type: Refill Sherry

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/b1uepenguin. His review can be found here.

Color: 1.2, Chestnut/Oloroso Sherry.

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Nose: Fruity with some wine notes. Grenadine and strawberry syrup bot come to mind with a little bit of moscato and sherry. Some floral notes come through in the form of heather, hibiscus tea, and some floral essential oils.

Palate: It’s quite flavorful and opens up really nicely with a few drops of water. Heather and dry oak are first. It’s joined by some more savory sauce-y notes. There’s a little bit of smoked fish dip along with barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, malt vinegar, and some HP brown sauce.

Finish: Long. Charcoal smoke comes through first along with some barbecue chips served with a side of HP sauce.

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Conclusion: Continuing on with my Islay whisky kick, I’ve had the pleasure to try this release by Lady of the Glen. This somehow takes the more floral notes that can come with an older Bowmore and marries them up nicely with more savory ones. The nose is playful and light. It starts off in the mouth that way before rolling into a slew of delicious sauces. The finish is nice and clean, with the bit of charcoal smoke cleaning up nicely. If I had a bottle of this, I can’t imagine it would last on the shelf particularly long. Well done to Gregor and team!

Final Score: 90.

Scotch Whisky Review #272, Islay Review #42, Whisky Network Review #415

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.