Abraham Bowman 17 year

Over the course of my bourbon education, one thing I've learned is that a single sip doesn't tell the whole story on a bourbon or whiskey.  As many of you enthusiasts may know, oxidation can make quite a difference. There's been many of bourbon that when first opened is tight, hot, flat, etc.  Given enough air time, magical things can happen.

Unfortunately, neither Tinker Bell nor Harry Potter can do anything to help this latest release from Bowman.  I'll caveat once again, this is my impression only; I leave final judgement up to those that drink it and come to their own determination.  I have friend in MD that loves this stuff.....he says the more heat and wood the better.

This latest release from Bowman is cask strength at 147.5 pf and 17 years old.  Color is a golden hue with shades of amber.  Nose is actually interesting giving up caramel and barrel notes but the heat really gets in the way of doing proper nosing. 

First taste is nothing but heat that attacks the palate first thing which masks any flavor components on the front end of the sip.  As the heat subsides around mid palate, there's hints of burnt sugar, wood and a bitter note that detracts from the overall profile.  From mid palate to finish, it's rather flat and one dimensional.  I added water taking it down to about 100 pf and while there's a touch of sweetness that pops up, the heat is still way too dominate to enjoy.

Bowman released an 18 year last year and it's fantastic.  In a previous post, I blogged about our 14 year old barrel pick and that one is also fantastic so I had fairly high expectations of this 17 year.  Unfortunately, it's really not a bourbon I would add to my bunker nor drink.  I hate to be this critical of this bourbon but that's the way I taste it and my taster typically doesn't steer me wrong.

I revisited  this bourbon a couple of times and it's just not going to get any better.  If you enjoy heat and wood, go for this bottle.  Other than that, I would recommend the big bypass on this one.  It's just too one dimensional to invest nearly $70 for a bottle.