Head to head · same category, comparable price
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old vs Bowmore 12 Year Old
One axis separates these two: peaty, 0 against 6.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Bowmore 12 Year Old | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Speyside, Scotland | Islay, Scotland |
| Age | 12 years | 12 years |
| Strength | 43% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | Ex-bourbon barrel, Oloroso sherry butt | American oak ex-bourbon cask, European oak Oloroso sherry cask |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £50 | £38 |
| Per 10cl | £7.14 | £5.43 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £166 | £136 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Both from Scotland: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old from Speyside, Bowmore 12 Year Old from Islay.
Both state 12 years.
Cask as each producer describes it: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old in ex-bourbon barrel and oloroso sherry butt, Bowmore 12 Year Old in american oak ex-bourbon cask and european oak oloroso sherry cask.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is £12 dearer a bottle than Bowmore 12 Year Old.
Strength keeps that ordering: £136 a litre of pure alcohol for Bowmore 12 Year Old against £166.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old is 22nd cheapest and Bowmore 12 Year Old 16th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old | Bowmore 12 Year Old |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 0 | 6 |
| Sweet | 8 | 6 |
| Fruity | 6 | 5 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 6 | 5 |
| Cereal | 5 | 5 |
| Oily | 6 | 6 |
That is the only axis of the eight to reach 3 points. Next widest is sweet, 8 against 6.
Identical on spicy, woody, cereal and oily.
Each bottle in its own right
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
Honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sweet without being cloying, and 43% helps.
Full record →Bowmore 12 Year Old
Sea salt, lemon and gentle smoke over sherried fruit. The most balanced entry-level Islay.
Bowmore is precise about wood and silent on strength — its page specifies hand-selected ex-bourbon and Oloroso casks while stating no ABV anywhere. Not to be confused with the separate Bowmore 12 Sherry Oak Cask SKU.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old for gift and after dinner, Bowmore 12 Year Old for peat curious and all-rounder.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old and Bowmore 12 Year Old: thebalvenie.com, bowmore.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.