Bowmore 18 - Review

Scotch is the ultimate comfort food, so when my friend Phelps called me and told me he was bringing the “best scotch in the world” to poker night, I was prepared for a comfortable time.

To say the least, the best scotch in the world is difficult to achieve. But many have rated this scotch as one of the best. He had heard that Bowmore 18 had just been voted the "Best in Show Whisky" at the San Francisco Spirits Competition, one of the foremost drinks competitions in the world. The competition included a blind-taste test but judges agreed that Bowmore 18 was ‘simply the best’.

So, we opened the bottle with much anticipation.

We poured. We sniffed. Someone said, “Iodine” and “Band-Aids” One of my cohorts said that the aroma of the Bowmore hinted to him of the ritual he went through as a kid, when he scraped his knee. I wouldn’t have come up with that on my own, but he was right. It was comforting, and we also got some nice caramel and a touch of smoke.

A sip straight up and I started to be convinced. A complex blend of caramel, floral, and just the right amount of smoke. I thought back to my glasses of Chivas and it occurred to me that this is probably what they were shooting for with their blended whisky, but fell short. This was so much more complex, so much more special, and so much more comforting.

I added a splash of water and this whisky really held up. It was still the same complexity with just a little more mellowness.

Is Bowmore 18 the best scotch in the world? I’ll only be able to say when I’ve tasted them all. But for now, this is one of the finest I’ve ever tasted. So, the next time you scrape your knee; don’t reach for your favorite adhesive strip. Reach for the Bowmore 18 and you’ll get the comfort you need to mend from your injury.