4+ The Whiskey Wash

Very mellow and dangerously sip-able. The Bowmore 12 is an excellent introductory Islay Scotch, with enough smoke to stand apart from the other regions while maintaining enough sweetness to keep even exclusive bourbon drinkers engaged. Make no mistake, this is an Islay; there is campfire smoke on the nose and in the glass. 4.5 STARS... ------- Fans of big Islay smoke will find this underwhelming, but this is a near-perfect bottle to pull out for a friend who likes Scotch and wants to wade into the pool of Islay.