Bowmore 25 Years Old Antique Lions of Spirits The Butterflies 48.7% 1991

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Serge Valentin (89)

I think this is the only one within this lovely series that we haven’t tasted yet. When I eat spinach with truffles, I’ll always have the spinach first. Ha. Colour: gold. Nose: it’s not always a bad sign when you first get glue and nail polish remover (acetone). In this case, those obvious notes tend to vanish into the air after just twenty (say fifteen) seconds, leaving room for some superb late-1960s-style almondy notes, smoked salmon, olives (bags of olives), and a little saltpetre and damp concrete. This is not exactly ‘modern’ Bowmore yet, but this rather ‘muddy’ style just works. Perfect and complex. Mouth: indeed, the late 1960s. What we have today is rather astonishing, as if our friends had poured quite a few old low-level bottles into the cask prior to disgorging it, and while only friends were watching. Only 1991, really? Very very good – and complex. Finish: medium, a tad burnt in a good way, slightly Demerara-y, and with hints of very old and slightly sweet balsamico and more leather and tobacco. Some stuff must have happened. Comments: the word any bad writers would use here is ‘intriguing’. I would make things even more difficult for myself and add ‘excellent’.