Bowmore Legend

[gomunkul]

"Aroma: Peat, brine, iodine and a little smoke."

** For the one who wonders if to buy it: it is totally different from Glenfiddich, Glenlivet.

[spasmous]

I bought a bottle on sale at $27 after tasting a Lagavulin Islay at a friends house. I get the banana and orange nose, but the peat taste is not there. Also, like a previous poster said, it is salt on the front and formaldehyde on the way down. I would not recommend the Bowmore Legend.

[avooslwuthoqquan]

I've found this whisky to be fairly inconsistent. Sometimes it's awesome and flavorful, sometimes it's a little weaker, but it's always worth $20-$25 and then some. Makes sense since I suspect it's a blend of different years.

[Platypi007]

I love the Legend. I love Islay scotch and this is the only Islay I've found in that price range, and being a poor recently graduated masters student I NEED cheap scotch, this fits the bill nicely!

[april231953]

Legend is the worst taste I've ever had in my mouth. I'm with lobzdik, iodine at the front, FORMALDEHYDE at the back. Absolutely shattering. The importer is in San Fran and gave me my money back.

[xxxlll666]

Nice review.

I've found this one a few days ago, but here its not that cheap, around $38 or in other words, just $2 cheaper then Glenlivet 12 years.

Still worth a try?

[Ramiiam]

I get Bowmore Legend locally for about $25. I like it too.

I keep it around for weekend nights when I feel like drinking a bit more whisky, but don't want to put a big dent in an $80 bottle of Lagavulin 16 in one sitting. The Legend helps me stretch out the more expensive bottles. And as inexpensive malts go, it's a heck of a lot more fun to drink than say Glenfiddich.

I actually prefer Legend to the Bowmore 12 because it is less sweet and has a bit more burn in the finish.

[Tnias13]

Just had a dram (or 2) of this last night for the first time...First impressions were that the nose had hints of wood/smoke/honey. Once on the palate, it was smooth, almost silky, a little oily and again, some smoke and honey. I added a splash of water and like you said, it toned everything down instead of opening things up as I thought it would. So I would definitely recommend no water as well. A good scotch for $30 indeed though. I would suggest letting it settle on the tongue for a bit.

[aphasia2]

i have 4 favourite whiskys.the first is talisker so bowmore and lagavulin and ardbeg.those are all great whiskys.bowmore is great.smoke peaty smooth.some sweetness.very balanced whisky like talisker.cheers

[lobzdik]

mate, give me a lil help with this:

i've just brought a bottle of Bowmore Legend, and to me on first taste, it reeks of iodine and salt! Now I've only tried Glenlivet 12 and Glenfiddich 12 so far (and liked them) but I had no idea that Bowmore had SO much iodine taste to it (btw is that what peat means?)

Is this something to get used to? Is this most typical to the Islay malts?

Thnkas

[Ramiiam]

That's what defines the Islay style, that and the smoky peat. It's the reason why they say that Islay is not for everybody.

I had the same reaction when I tried my first Islay. I hated the first third of the bottle, was warming to it by the middle third, and by the last third I was hooked.

Stick with it a little bit. Once you acquire the taste for Islay, you'll forget all about Speyside.

[santoshacoast]

That is trippy. Though I just poured a dram of Bowmore 12 and didn't let it rest. Major pear and banana, very little smoke. Weird. My bottle of it is about 1/2 full.

[IslayScotchWhisky]

UPDATE:

This bottle has been sitting in my bar for a few weeks now, around 2/3 full. I had a dram recently and noted some changes. The nose is less sweet and there is much less banana. There are distinct charcoal notes with more peat and more smoke coming through. Same applies to the palate. If water is added, then there is a wee bit of a floral bouquet. Finish is the same. Its interesting to realize how much it has changed! Still a very tasty dram.

[jpd1974]

I've never got banana until you mentioned it, and now its most of what I smell. Funny. Right on with the legs comment. I get grass, a bit medicinal. I like southern Islays, so I miss the smoky nose. I loved the legend, it was my first Islay malt, but after getting Laphroaig and Ardbeg (haven't afforded Lagavulin yet) Legend kinda tastes of nothing. But still enjoyable when I'm broke. Haha. Thanks for the discussion.

[IslayScotchWhisky]

I know exactly what you mean when you say Legend "tastes of nothing" compared to Laphroaig. They're well separated in terms of raw power. I would be completely unable to taste Legend after a dram of Laphroaig; my palate would just taste the ethanol, making it kind of a waste. I need to abstain for a couple days after a dram of Laphroaig if I hope to taste anything when having a dram of a more subtle whisky. And Legend is farily subtle, but quite tasty and a great bargain.

[wbmack10]

Bargain is right- My local store sells it for $20. Not complex but very enjoyable at that price.

[santoshacoast]

Bowmore 12 is pretty similar, but a tad more expensive. Interesting comment about washing your glass, too. I think I've only washed my Glencairn once in the last 3 weeks, and right now I'm tasting Bowmore 12, but the legs are substantial.

[IslayScotchWhisky]

Thanks for the feedback. I really like discussing this stuff. And I like hearing about the varying experiences of other whisky connoisseurs. It's interesting and educational.

[tsaccucci]

very accurate review

Just picked up a bottle (12 year) and it is one of my faves.

[westside1975dt]

first view mother fucker!

nice reviews. picked up some finlaggan per your recommendation. very nice! great alternative to my mash or my irish at home. thanks for the heads up!

[IslayScotchWhisky]

Thanks for watching, westide1975dt. And I'm glad you like your Finlaggan... it's a good one. If you wouldn't mind terribly, help me keep the comments rated "G". This is a family affair!