Head to head · same category, comparable price
Bowmore 12 Year Old vs Kavalan Classic Single Malt
They diverge on 2 of our eight axes, most of all peaty, 6 against 0.
Compiled by WhiskeyCask Editorial · Last verified 2026-07-30
Specifications side by side
| Bowmore 12 Year Old | Kavalan Classic Single Malt | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Single malt | Single malt |
| Origin | Islay, Scotland | Taiwan |
| Age | 12 years | No age statement |
| Strength | 40% ABV | 40% ABV |
| Cask | American oak ex-bourbon cask, European oak Oloroso sherry cask | American oak |
| Bottle | 700 ml | 700 ml |
| RRP observed | £38 | £60 |
| Per 10cl | £5.43 | £8.57 |
| Per litre of alcohol | £136 | £214 |
| Chill-filtered | Not stated | Not stated |
What separates them
Different countries: Bowmore 12 Year Old from Islay, Scotland, Kavalan Classic Single Malt from Taiwan.
Bowmore 12 Year Old states 12 years; Kavalan Classic Single Malt states none.
Cask as each producer describes it: Bowmore 12 Year Old in american oak ex-bourbon cask and european oak oloroso sherry cask, Kavalan Classic Single Malt in american oak.
Neither states chill filtration.
Neither set of specifications is producer-confirmed.
What the price buys
Kavalan Classic Single Malt is £22 dearer a bottle than Bowmore 12 Year Old.
Strength keeps that ordering: £136 a litre of pure alcohol for Bowmore 12 Year Old against £214.
Across the 32 bottles we can cost this way, Bowmore 12 Year Old is 16th cheapest and Kavalan Classic Single Malt 28th cheapest.
Flavour, compared
View as table
| Axis | Bowmore 12 Year Old | Kavalan Classic Single Malt |
|---|---|---|
| Peaty | 6 | 0 |
| Sweet | 6 | 7 |
| Fruity | 5 | 8 |
| Spicy | 4 | 4 |
| Woody | 5 | 5 |
| Sherried | 5 | 3 |
| Cereal | 5 | 4 |
| Oily | 6 | 6 |
2 of the eight axes clear 3 points; after peaty comes fruity at 5 against 8.
Identical on spicy, woody and oily.
Each bottle in its own right
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 →Kavalan Classic Single Malt
Mango and coconut — subtropical maturation doing something Scotland cannot.
Matures in Yilan's heat, losing far more to evaporation each year than a Scottish warehouse.
Full record →No overlap in what we list them for: Bowmore 12 Year Old for peat curious and all-rounder, Kavalan Classic Single Malt for something different and fruit-forward drinkers.
Where these specifications come from
Producer and retailer pages for Bowmore 12 Year Old and Kavalan Classic Single Malt: bowmore.com, kavalanwhisky.com. Figures are what those pages published when we last checked them, on 2026-07-30.