I think I say this all the time but I will say it again, Bowmore has always had a special place in my heart. It was the first single malt I tasted when I began venturing into Scotch and it was also the first Scotch I fell in love with. No surprise that I picked up this Bowmore 17 year-old White Sands being offered as part of their travel series at the Duty Free in one of Germany’s airport.

This single malt is matured for 17 years in ex Bourbon casks. The White Sands name was inspired by the 7-miles of white sandy beaches in Islay.

Many believe that the White Sands is a re-brand of Bowmore’s classic 17 yo. I can’t speak to that because I have never tasted the classic 17 yo but I can tell you that this White Sands is certainly different that most Bowmore’s I’ve tasted before.

Tasting Notes
Nose: smoke, toffee and vanilla
Palate: toffee, fruit, sweetness and smokiness
Finish: smooth, sweet and light ending notes of smoke

Personally I like this White Sands but I must be honest though, the first dram I had of it I wasn’t too sure I liked it. It wasn’t till my third dram (not in one sitting, through the course of the time I’ve own the bottle) that I realized how much I really like it.

The smokiness in this White Sands is lighter than any other Bowmore I’ve tasted before. To me this is a sweeter tasting Bowmore. It’s tropical meets Islay smoke. The lightness in the smoke is what makes it possible for all these other notes to shine. This doesn’t make it’s a bad whisky; it makes it different and quite unique from what you would normally expect for Bowmore to put out.

I would not recommend this to someone looking for bold smoky notes but rather someone who just wants a little smoke and a bit more sweetness. My main advice would be not to shrug it off completely if you don’t like your first dram. It’s a whisky that grows on you.

Cheers!

PS: I’m looking for a new host for my blog content. If you note there isn’t content for a few weeks this is the main reason.

Note: The contents on my blog are solely my opinion. To me every palate is different! Although I may or may not like a product, I always recommend for people to try it and make up their own minds.