Cadenhead Bowmore 2015 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is an Islay single malt from Scotland’s oldest independent bottler: distilled in 2015, matured 10 years in oak casks, and bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV) in a 700mL bottle — non-chill filtered, natural colour — and it is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
Bowmore — Islay’s oldest distillery — has opened its warehouses to independent bottlers again, and Cadenhead’s take is a 10-year-old that lets the distillery’s coastal peat and tropical fruit character speak. Independent reviewers have called this bottling near-perfect for its age, in the spirit of Bowmore’s cult Tempest releases.
Tasting notes (independent review of this exact bottling, scored 8.9/10): the nose offers smoked peanut skins, nori sheets, sea spray, kippers, candle wax, and tropical fruit — mango, papaya, grapefruit; the palate leads with grapefruit, then preserved and char-grilled lemons, limoncello, white pepper, and salinity; the finish is medium to long, coastal peat layered with tropical fruits.
Why buy it? Because independent Bowmore at this quality is increasingly hard to find — distillery 10-year-olds don’t taste like this — and the bourbon-cask profile is the purest read of the spirit. Browse the WM Cadenhead collection, more single malt Scotch whisky, and other fine spirits.
Serving note: neat; peat lovers can add a splash of water to lift the tropical fruit.
Where is Bowmore distillery? On the Isle of Islay, Scotland — the island’s oldest distillery.
How strong is it? 92 proof (46% ABV), 700mL.
Is it peated? Yes — Bowmore is a peated Islay malt; expect coastal smoke throughout.
