It’s a cold (at least by our standards) and rainy day here so I threw out of the window the planned review for today and elected instead to go for something peaty but with a twist: Peated (doh!) Bowmore done in wine finish!

It’s a bottling done by Single Cask Collection (www.singlecaskcollection.at)  for Weinturm (www.weinturm.at) in Austria. It’s part of their Hidden Gem range which contains Scotch finished in Austrian wine makers barrels that were shipped to Scotland for the finish period. Along with this Bowmore, there are other interesting bottlings such as Mortlach 10yo finished in a Dockner Sacra Cask and Linkwood 14yo finished in a Weninger merlot Cask – I must say they all piqued my curiosity and they are available in a set (4 Hidden Gem bottles) here for only €239.

Anyway, this Hidden Gem Bowmore was distilled 25.09.1998 and bottled 30.03.2013 after it was finished in Markowitsch (Austrian winemaker) wine cask from 2008 for a couple of months. Lets see if it’s indeed a hidden gem or not.

Hidden Gem Bowmore 13yo Markowitsch-Rosenberg Finish (56.5%, 195 bottles, €99)

Photo credit: Whiskybase.com / duerer79

Nose: At first sniff all I could think is “hmm, peat with nicely integrated sweet wine”. No noticeable bitter wine tannins and not overdoing it giving it a very good foundation. deeper inhaling revealed sweet raisins, nutmeg, baking spices and a tropical fruits with a bit of perfume. With a few drops of water it becomes more Bowmore-y and the perfume note is strengthen.

Palate: Heavy with peat and ashes but balanced perfectly by the sweet wine. Spices and oak.

Finish: Wine tannins are finally showing up here, oak, peat and smoke and long lingering sweet wine. with water: even better!

Thoughts: well balanced whisky with peat and wine working in harmony. It’s not a complex whisky (after all it’s ‘only’ 13 year old) but a well done dram. Now, please someone get me a bottle!