Bowmore Devil’s Casks Batch 2 is the follow-up to what is my favorite, recent, Bowmore OB release. The Devil’s Casks Batch 1 fully enthralled me and I took my time slowly draining the bottle which continued to change and morph over the time it took to finally kill it. I recently had the great fortune to enjoy another glass of that delicious malt in December and it showed so wonderfully that I’m tempted to open one of my reserve bottles of DC1 just thinking about it…
In Bowmore’s Words: Bowmore Devil’s Casks Batch 2
“Matured exclusively – and unusually – in the finest first fill sherry casks, the second small batch release of Devil’s Casks is still mischievous. Having mellowed under a cloak of smooth velvet and sublime sherry cask indulgence, it reveals even more of Bowmore’s devilish dark side. This small batch release is, quite simply, devilishly good!
The expression gets its name from a legend nearly as old as the distillery itself. It was claimed that the Devil was once spotted and chased through the town, eventually hiding away in the distillery. After searching, the Devil was nowhere to be seen, having made his escape in a whisky barrel.”
Since the scores are not a secret, due to me placing them on the image, you already know my feelings on it. Though as always the detailed opinion is below in the Bowmore Devil’s Casks Batch 2 review.
Bowmore Devil’s Casks Batch 2 Info
Region: Islay, Scotland
Distiller: Bowmore
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Oloroso Sherry
Age: 10 years
ABV: 56.3%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 2
Price: $100
Bowmore Devil’s Casks Batch 2 Review
EYE
Red like the Dark Lord’s acidic blood
NOSE
Tarry dark fruit, citric acid, leather, sour cherry candy, Fun Dip (flavored sugar) and overripe fruit. There’s a light bit of something that reminds me of bacon wrapped dates that sits next to the light peat. I’m astonished at how light the aroma is – even with water.
PALATE
The peat was light on the nose but charges ahead on the palate along with sticky dark fruit, burnt cocoa, copper, burnt meat and light notes of musty sulfur and puckering citric acid.
FINISH
Long layers of char, plastic, boysenberry syrup and oily peat.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Ok balance, medium body and a hot AF.
OVERALL
It needs water to tame the fires of hell that rage within the Bowmore Devil’s Casks Batch 2, but that water doesn’t do much to open it up. On the nose a bit of chocolate Twizzlers and marshmallow arrive, but it just waters down the palate; kind of a damned if you do damned if you don’t scenario. Which is too bad because based on how much I loved the DC 1 I was ecstatic for this release.
Typically I’m a sucker for that peat-n-sweet combination. That dueling nature of sweet and savory makes me happy as can be and works so well when it’s balanced, but here… here in the Bowmore Devil’s Casks Batch 2 it fails.
The sweetness in the Bowmore Devil’s Casks Batch 2 is dominant and doesn’t get fully balanced out by the seemingly low quantity of peat, or any other earthy notes, found within. The sweetness is so great here it’s almost like they poured concentrated sherry right into the whisky along with some citric acid; like they were trying to make a sherry jam, but gave up and decided to make it into whisky instead.
SCORE: 82/100 (B-)
