Bowmore 15 Years
The Bowmore for after dinner. The final three years in Oloroso sherry casks make it dark, warm and full-bodied: raisins, chocolate and toffee, with the distillery's soft peat smoke draped over it like a blanket.
Where smoke and sherry meet
Bowmore 15 Years begins its life in bourbon casks and is transferred to casks that previously held Oloroso sherry for the final three years. This finish is what distinguishes it from the 12 Years: the whisky takes on a deep sienna-red color and rich flavors of raisins, chocolate, toffee and cedarwood, while the peat smoke becomes softer.
It is also bottled at a higher strength: 43% compared with 40% for the 9 and 12 Years. That little extra gives it more texture and a longer, warming finish. The result is a whisky that seeks a balance between smoky and warm, fruity and robust, making it the logical step up for anyone already familiar with the 12 Years.
In brief
Dark, rounded and warming
Raisins and cedar
Dried fruit and raisins from the sherry, with cedarwood and a soft layer of smoke. Richer and darker than the younger Bowmores.
Chocolate and toffee
Full and rounded, with chocolate, toffee and soft peat smoke. The sherry makes it sweeter without becoming sticky.
Long and warm
A warming, long finish in which chocolate and smoke fade away together. Exactly what you want after dinner.
Flavor profile of Bowmore 15 Years neat. A few drops of water bring out the raisins and cedarwood.
How to taste Bowmore 15 Years
This is a whisky to take your time with. Neat or with a few drops of water, and feel free to have a piece of dark chocolate alongside it.
Neat, after dinner
Pour 4 cl into a tulip-shaped tasting glass and let it stand for a few minutes. Smell first around the rim for the sherry, then deeper in the glass for the smoke. Take small sips and hold them in your mouth for a moment.
Glass: tasting glass →With chocolate
Let a piece of dark chocolate of around 70% melt on your tongue first, then take a sip of whisky. The cocoa and Oloroso enhance each other, while the smoke takes on a hint of roasted coffee.
Glass: tumbler →In a Boulevardier
30 ml Bowmore 15, 30 ml Campari and 30 ml red vermouth, stirred over ice and strained into a chilled coupe. The sherry and smoke round out and deepen the bitterness.
Boulevardier recipe →Stirred cocktails with Bowmore 15
No sours or highballs for this bottle, but stirred, dark cocktails in which the sherry and smoke remain center stage.
Boulevardier
Whisky, Campari and red vermouth. With Bowmore 15, deeper and smokier.
Smoky Manhattan
Whisky, red vermouth and bitters. The Oloroso pairs beautifully with the vermouth.
Godfather
Whisky with amaretto over ice. Raisin and almond, a dessert in a glass.
Scotch Coffee
Hot coffee, brown sugar and velvety cream, with Bowmore instead of Irish whiskey.The right glass for Bowmore 15 Years
A tulip-shaped tasting glass or a small cognac glass keeps the sherry and smoke together. For stirred cocktails, use a coupe or heavy tumbler.
More Bowmore flavors
Bowmore
Where it began. On the brand page, you can read all about Bowmore: its origins, varieties and classic cocktails.
Go to Bowmore →
Bowmore 9 Years
Young Islay from sherry casks: smoke with dried fruit and chocolate. Simply a good introduction, and excellent in cocktails.
View Bowmore 9 Years →
Bowmore 18 Years
Smooth and refined: ripe fruit and dark chocolate, with the smoke whispering in the background.
View Bowmore 18 Years →
Bowmore 21 Years Sherry Cask
Twenty-one years in sherry casks: smoke, sherry and ripe fruit, with molasses and tobacco. For a special occasion.
View Bowmore 21 Years Sherry Cask →Questions about Bowmore 15 Years
Can't find your question here? Read more on the Bowmore page or browse our cocktail recipes.
Everything about Bowmore →