Bowmore 23 1989 Port Cask Matured

The third of the five birth-year bottles I've acquired to have a dram of on my birthday (revisiting a sample every 5 years to compare that sample to what remains in the bottle. The first two were both Bunnahabhain IBs, so it's nice to move to a different distillery, as well as one bottled by the distiller. Fortunately I decided to include this as one of my birthday drams a while ago, when prices were a bit less high, though even then it was above what I would want to spend unless it were for a special bottle such as this. Hopefully it's worth the price.

Bowmore 23 1989 Port Cask Matured, Islay Single Malt, 50.8% ABV

Minutia: Distilled in 1989 and matured for 23 years in Port casks. Enjoyed neat in a glencairn.

Color: Burnt umber; 1.7.

Nose: Big fruit (a distance away from the glass). Actually nosing, blueberry is prominent. Molasses, smoke/smoked potpourri, possibly smoked whiting.

Taste: Tannic/dry. Dark fruit, brown sugar. Smoked caramel.

Finish: Toffee. Coffee. Caramelized brown sugar. Smoky, as if the other notes were prepared over a campfire.

Really nice. Smokier than I expected (a plus) due to the age and Bowmores typically giving me a lower level of peat. It's not huge smoke, but exceeds expectations. It's a great birth-year bottle.

Score: 94

Musical Evocation: Gary Moore – “Over the Hills and Far Away”