New Release: BOWMORE 1998-2016 17yo Official 'Stillmen's Selection' 53.1%

Laguiole cask? Interesting cask character. BOWMORE 1998-2016 17yo Distillery Exclusive 'Stillmen's Selection' 53.1% One of 1500 bottles, Bordeaux Wine Barriques The aroma is sweet with plum and berry jam, bitter chocolate, grape skin, slightly briny, strong peat. Upon drinking, it starts with a soft mouthfeel expanding into sweet plum jam and concentrated grape juice with skins, their intense sweetness, some green grassy bitterness, leather, and a peaty note with earthiness. [Good/Very Good, Interesting] This is a 1998 vintage, 17-year-old whisky from the Stillmen's Selection released exclusively at BOWMORE distillery this year. Aged in Bordeaux Wine Barriques, which are rarely seen casks. Since there's no finish notation, it was likely aged in these casks from the start. I remember seeing many Laguiole casks used for aging at another Suntory-owned distillery, Ochota. Also, the last bottle selected by Yosui was a Hakushu aged in red wine casks. While BOWMORE might not have experience with this, it could be a similar specification cask. Although there's a fruity character reminiscent of sherry casks with juicy grape juice notes, it seems to emphasize even more grape nuances, particularly the bitterness of grape skins, deepening the flavor. The texture was softer than expected for its ABV, indicating good maturity. However, the typical BOWMORE passion fruit notes were masked, but depending on drinking timing, both fruity sensations might be enjoyable. Incidentally, a Hand-Filled released at the same time was from the 2006 vintage, also aged in wine barriques. While I find the paper-like nuances and bitterness a bit overwhelming, it still had an interesting fruity character. It seems like there might be more releases using wine barriques in the future. With its unique character, it would be interesting to see how it performs in blending as well. #BOWMORE