Bowmore Legend

Score: 65

Bowmore Legend entered the club tasting as a bit of a wildcard, an affordable, no-age-statement Islay malt that promised gentle peat and easy-drinking charm. While it didn’t climb the rankings, it earned quiet appreciation for what it was: a well-balanced, mildly peated whisky that’s more about subtlety than spectacle and on budget. It’s a slow starter, with a nose offering little more than faint peat and honey, but it improves noticeably as the glass empties. The palate brings mild peat and citrus, tasting better than it smells, with a gentle sweetness and soft smokiness that make it a pleasant daily dram. It’s not complex, and it won’t win any awards, but it’s the kind of whisky that grows on you, unassuming, approachable, and quietly satisfying. In a lineup of louder, more assertive drams. Bowmore Legend held its own by simply being nice.