1966 Duncan Taylor Bowmore Cask 3318 40 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)
Islay,
SCOTLAND
$5999. 00
Bottle
$71988.00 Dozen
ABV: 43.9%
Cask 3318 is the third release in a remarkable series of three, all of them now near impossible to find. The previous two were reviewed by Serge Valentin at whiskyfun.com, who raved about them both - see below... Expensive? Yes, but then consider that official distillery bottlings of the same or similar age have reached significantly higher prices. Cask strength at 43.9% Alc./Vol. Comes beautifully packaged in a lacquered timber box. We have one of the 164 bottles produced. Excellent condition.
Reviews for the previous casks... Bowmore 40 yo 1966/2006 (43.2%, Duncan Taylor, cask #3317, 171 bottles)
Colour: pure gold (slightly darker than cask #3316) Nose: extremely close but probably a little less expressive, slightly more cardboardy and vanilled. A little less of everything but we do have that great balance fruits/sea again. Superb. Mouth: it’s the other way ‘round now, this palate starts bolder and more expressive than its twin cask. More on oranges, Grand-Marnier, marmalade, vanilla sauce, quince… Much more powerful despite the slightly lower ABV. Maybe a little more peat as well and certainly more pepper, plus these very bold notes of cinnamon. The finish is longer as well, more balanced, creamier, in a nutshell: more satisfying. I feel it deserves one more point in fact, so it’s going to be 93 points. No wonder it sold just as quickly as its twin cask but maybe we can still find a few bottles on the Web… Bowmore 40 yo 1966/2006 (43.4%, Duncan Taylor, cask #3316, 151 bottles)
...Colour: pure gold. Nose: vibrant, expressive, a true fruit bomb starting on truckloads of passion fruits and mangos and developing on pink grapefruits. Amazingly fruity, really. It gets then a little buttery, with also touches of peat smoke, getting then frankly maritime, which is great news (it’s not only a fruit bomb). Whiffs of sea breeze, fisherman’s nest, shells… We have a slight oakiness in the background, just to keep the whole perfectly straight. Grows even more coastal after a few minutes, with notes of kippers, canned sardines, anchovies… Maybe that comes from the Loch Indaal water that used to enter the casks when they were used to roll the barrels from the puffers to the distillery. Anyway, this cask is really a wonder, I think it’s the first time I can nose an old Bowmore that’s so greatly balanced between fruitiness and ‘coastality’ (except for the more usual lemon + oysters). Mouth: a great attack, not too oaky, not too tea-ish, not tired, not evanescent, not drying… Fab news considering this one’s age. We do have all these fruits again actually, even if it’s not as wham-bamy as on the nose, maybe a little more on oranges and tangerines rather than passion and mango. More vanilla as well, maybe a little flour and paper but also lots of cinnamon and nutmeg, the whole getting spicier and spicier with time (but again, not drying). Granted, this palate isn’t as thrilling as the nose but it’s still really excellent. No peat here, though. Finish: medium long but balanced, getting a tad drying now but nothing unusual for a 40 yo whisky. Loads of cinnamon. Rating: the nose is like 95 points, the palate like 88 or 89… Okay, let’s say 92 points for this excellent old Bowmore. No wonder it sold out in a flash. - Serge Valentin, www.whiskyfun.com
Colour: pure gold (slightly darker than cask #3316) Nose: extremely close but probably a little less expressive, slightly more cardboardy and vanilled. A little less of everything but we do have that great balance fruits/sea again. Superb. Mouth: it’s the other way ‘round now, this palate starts bolder and more expressive than its twin cask. More on oranges, Grand-Marnier, marmalade, vanilla sauce, quince… Much more powerful despite the slightly lower ABV. Maybe a little more peat as well and certainly more pepper, plus these very bold notes of cinnamon. The finish is longer as well, more balanced, creamier, in a nutshell: more satisfying. I feel it deserves one more point in fact, so it’s going to be 93 points. No wonder it sold just as quickly as its twin cask but maybe we can still find a few bottles on the Web… Bowmore 40 yo 1966/2006 (43.4%, Duncan Taylor, cask #3316, 151 bottles)
...Colour: pure gold. Nose: vibrant, expressive, a true fruit bomb starting on truckloads of passion fruits and mangos and developing on pink grapefruits. Amazingly fruity, really. It gets then a little buttery, with also touches of peat smoke, getting then frankly maritime, which is great news (it’s not only a fruit bomb). Whiffs of sea breeze, fisherman’s nest, shells… We have a slight oakiness in the background, just to keep the whole perfectly straight. Grows even more coastal after a few minutes, with notes of kippers, canned sardines, anchovies… Maybe that comes from the Loch Indaal water that used to enter the casks when they were used to roll the barrels from the puffers to the distillery. Anyway, this cask is really a wonder, I think it’s the first time I can nose an old Bowmore that’s so greatly balanced between fruitiness and ‘coastality’ (except for the more usual lemon + oysters). Mouth: a great attack, not too oaky, not too tea-ish, not tired, not evanescent, not drying… Fab news considering this one’s age. We do have all these fruits again actually, even if it’s not as wham-bamy as on the nose, maybe a little more on oranges and tangerines rather than passion and mango. More vanilla as well, maybe a little flour and paper but also lots of cinnamon and nutmeg, the whole getting spicier and spicier with time (but again, not drying). Granted, this palate isn’t as thrilling as the nose but it’s still really excellent. No peat here, though. Finish: medium long but balanced, getting a tad drying now but nothing unusual for a 40 yo whisky. Loads of cinnamon. Rating: the nose is like 95 points, the palate like 88 or 89… Okay, let’s say 92 points for this excellent old Bowmore. No wonder it sold out in a flash. - Serge Valentin, www.whiskyfun.com