Bowmore Enigma

[dgilman]

I've been having nips from a bottle of Bowmore Enigma 12-year-old that I picked up recently, and I'm curious to know how it's treating others. I enjoy it, except for the first sip, every single time. Somehow, even after having drunk a good bit of it and getting to know the whisky, I find the first sip always hits me like a liquefied tire fire. Burnt rubber is all I can get on the first sip. And then, boom: by the third sip, it has transformed into a delicious Islay malt.

Why can't I train my tongue to anticipate the flavor? I've never had this issue with any other whisky, single malt or not. Is this bottling just very aggressive-tasting by nature?

Oh, and lest you think I've missed the obvious, I always take my whisky neat with a splash of spring water.

 

[beachape]

If it is only the first sip every time, it makes me think that you may have some left over flavors/residues in your mouth. Sometimes I'll drink a whisky and find it tastes awful....but its usually because I brushed my teeth recently. I think its a similar phenomenon to drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth. Try rinsing out your mouth first, or starting with a blend then working up to a malt. Just an idea.

 

[dgilman]

Hang on, are you suggesting that I drink a glass of blended scotch as a warm-up to a following glass of Bowmore?

I'll have to try drinking a glass of plain water first, just to clear my palate. But, since I often like to take scotch as an after-dinner drink, this may be more trouble than it's worth in many social situations.

 

[beachape]

Its always good to work your way up. Start with something milder then go to your stronger islay malts. Starting with a GOOD blend like a teacher's cream, johhny black...maybe black bottle but thats a bit flavorful. That is a cheap way to open up your senses before you move on to bigger flavor. Another way is to try drinking a milder single malt before you dive in to your islays.

If you try that and it still tastes funny you may just have a bad scotch on your hands.

 

[dgilman]

Its always good to work your way up. Start with something milder then go to your stronger islay malts. Starting with a GOOD blend like a teacher's cream, johhny black...maybe black bottle but thats a bit flavorful. That is a cheap way to open up your senses before you move on to bigger flavor. Another way is to try drinking a milder single malt before you dive in to your islays.

If you try that and it still tastes funny you may just have a bad scotch on your hands.

I think you misunderstand. I have been drinking Islay malts and other single malt whiskies for many years. My point is that this particular single malt does not behave the way other Islay malts in my experience (Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Bunnahabhain, Ardbeg) and similar Island malts (like Isle of Jura and Talisker) do. I am familiar with the way these flavors tend to present themselves; I'm just surprised by the way that Bowmore starts out so aggressively, and then settles. I've tasted stronger-flavored whiskies that I never really learned to appreciate – Lagavulin in particular – but they tasted overpowering to me all the way through.

Hence, my question to people who have also tried Bowmore Enigma.

 

[beachape]

I'm talking about building up one drink to the next in the same evening. If you are going to be drinking scotch in an evening, start with a lighter one then go up to the stronger ones. By preparing your palate you may avoid the unpleasant first sip you're getting from the enigma. This tends to work with most strongly flavored foods/drinks. If it starts too aggressive and unpleasant, you will have prepared your tastebuds to make it more pleasant.

 

[dgilman]

Wow, that is what you meant, then! I'm afraid that's not even an option for me here at the moment: I won't have the chance to acquire any other whisky until I travel abroad and can get my hands on some duty-free booze. (Or until I can get a friend to visit whom I trust to pick the right bottles when they get to duty-free.) The only other whisky in my cabinet at present is Jack Daniel's, which I suspect can't really do the job you outline for the blend or light single malt. As soon as I can arrange for a whisky delivery, though, I'll try out the suggestion.

 

[dgilman]

I've cracked it! As an experiment, I tried taking a dram without my customary splash of spring water. And just like that, the whisky tasted good from the first sip: instead of burning tires, I got peat smoke, sea brine, and various sweet flavors that, I'm guessing, come from the sherry-cask aging. It's the first whisky I've ever tasted that was actually worsened instead of improved by the addition of a splash of water. I guess I'll have to bear in mind from now on that not all whiskies can be treated alike, even in terms of taking a dram neat.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying a glass right now and savoring my little victory.

 

[Laz]

Hang on, are you suggesting that I drink a glass of blended scotch as a warm-up to a following glass of Bowmore? .

Maybe you should begin with a beer or a couple of nice ales as a prep for the blended scotch

 

[arghblech]

Maybe you should begin with a beer or a couple of nice ales as a prep for the blended scotch

Maybe a bag of Fritos will ease you into it.

 

[DavyRay]

Maybe a bag of Fritos will ease you into it.

Funyums.

 

[Laz]

Funyums.

Those things will tear the skin right off the top of your mouth - terrible combo with a cask strength scotch. Now a watered down blend, I can't argue with your fine choice

 

[DavyRay]

I've cracked it! As an experiment, I tried taking a dram without my customary splash of spring water. And just like that, the whisky tasted good from the first sip: instead of burning tires, I got peat smoke, sea brine, and various sweet flavors that, I'm guessing, come from the sherry-cask aging. It's the first whisky I've ever tasted that was actually worsened instead of improved by the addition of a splash of water. I guess I'll have to bear in mind from now on that not all whiskies can be treated alike, even in terms of taking a dram neat.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying a glass right now and savoring my little victory.

I would have never guessed that this would have such an effect. Congratulations.