Decadent Drams Bowmore 2011 14 Year Old – 70cl

Fourteen years in a single second-fill barrel, and only 250 bottles at the end of it. This Bowmore was distilled in 2011 and bottled in 2025 by Decadent Drinks for their Decadent Drams range, at 53%.

Bowmore is the oldest working distillery on Islay, sitting right on the shore of Loch Indaal, and its spirit has a character all its own: smoke, yes, but threaded with fruit and a maritime freshness that sets it apart from the island's heavier hitters. A refill barrel is the ideal frame for it. The wood stays in the background and lets the distillate speak, which is exactly why independent bottlings like this are so sought after by Islay devotees.

Expect a very pure, clean profile: seaweed and wet stones, zesty lemon, ripe peach, and gentle, drying peat smoke that builds rather than dominates. At 53% there's real weight and a long, salty, citrus-edged finish. The watercolour label, all dune grass, heather and grey sea, tells you pretty much what's in the bottle.

For Islay collectors, a single cask of this vintage at this age is a proper find. For everyone else, it's a brilliant introduction to what Bowmore tastes like when nothing gets in the way.

How to Serve

Neat in a Glencairn first. A few drops of water will open up the peach and citrus and soften the smoke.

Food Pairings

Seared scallops, crab on toast, or a plate of smoked salmon with plenty of lemon.