From the Bowmore guy · Thread · tastes-like · 2026-10-22

Tastes like Bowmore 12

1/If Bowmore 12 is your bottle and you fancy something close, Highland Park 12 is the one that lands nearest to it. It gives a Bowmore 12 drinker about 91% of what the Bowmore 12 does, for 95% of the price.

2/Bowmore 12 leans into sweet smoke and brine, with peaches and honey rounding it out. Highland Park 12 is more fragrant and floral, heather and a little spice before a honeyed, citrus finish. Both reviews land on the same notes: smoke, floral, honey and citrus.

3/At Dan Murphy's this week, Bowmore 12 is $95 for members and Highland Park 12 is $90 for members, about $4.30 a standard drink against $4.07. Stay with Bowmore 12 if it's your favourite; try Highland Park 12 when you fancy a change. Which way are you leaning?

Sources

Prices at Dan Murphy's as of 2026-10-22 (22 October 2026); vintage 2026-10-22.1; bottles: Bowmore 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky 700mL, Highland Park 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL.
Highland Park 12 for a Bowmore 12 drinker (share of what the Bowmore 12 gives): 91% (stand_ins.alternatives.share_of_ref)
Bowmore 12 price this week: $95 (price.ticket)
Highland Park 12 price this week: $90 (price.ticket)
Highland Park 12 price as a share of Bowmore 12's: 95% (price.ticket ratio)
flavour words in both reviews (Bowmore 12, Highland Park 12): smoke, floral, honey and citrus (identity.review_text (both))
Bowmore 12 per standard drink: $4.30 (price.ticket / standard drinks)
Highland Park 12 per standard drink: $4.07 (price.ticket / standard drinks)
a pint at the pub, per standard drink (about $13 a pint, about 2 standard drinks): $6.28 (PUB_PINT)
a pint at the pub: $13 (PUB_PINT)
THE POINT (fixed: keep its figures): Of the like-for-like bottles at Dan Murphy's, Highland Park 12 is the nearest to Bowmore 12 on flavour two ways: by the words in their reviews and by what drinkers choose. Highland Park 12 gives a Bowmore 12 drinker about 91% of what the Bowmore 12 does, for 95% of its price.
Bowmore 12: standard drinks in the bottle: about 22
Highland Park 12: standard drinks in the bottle: about 22
under a pint at the pub, per standard drink: Bowmore 12 and Highland Park 12
over a pint at the pub, per standard drink: none

Omissions

None recorded.

Notes for reviewer

None recorded.

Frontmatter as merged

{
 "date": "2026-10-22",
 "title": "Tastes like Bowmore 12",
 "angle": "tastes-like",
 "shape": "thread",
 "masthead": "the-whisky-guy",
 "status": "draft",
 "may_publish": true,
 "generator": "new",
 "artefact_id": "2026-10-22-cycle/tastes-like/bowmore-12-year-old-scotch-whisky-700ml-highland-park-12-yea-7a864a",
 "grounded_on": "2026-10-22.1",
 "subjects": [
  "Bowmore 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky 700mL",
  "Highland Park 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL"
 ],
 "claims": [
  {
   "item": "Bowmore 12 Year Old Scotch Whisky 700mL",
   "kind": "price",
   "value": 95,
   "basis": "member",
   "stockcode": "132580"
  },
  {
   "item": "Highland Park 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL",
   "kind": "price",
   "value": 90,
   "basis": "member",
   "stockcode": "73487"
  }
 ],
 "score": 1508.4,
 "news": [
  {
   "item": "Highland Park 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL",
   "trigger": "member_offer",
   "pct": 17.4,
   "member": 90,
   "list": 108.99
  }
 ],
 "seed": 2604786280,
 "plan_n": 92,
 "plan_day": "Fri",
 "plan_source": "derived from the article",
 "writer": "claude -p --output-format json",
 "tries": 1,
 "passed_on_try": 1,
 "needs_a_person": false,
 "checks": {
  "required facts": true,
  "no invented reason": true,
  "Australian spelling": true,
  "machine habits": true,
  "proofread": true,
  "reluctance": true,
  "post plan": true,
  "no causal claims": true,
  "invented flavours": true,
  "swap reasons": true,
  "banned words": true,
  "length": true,
  "comparisons": true,
  "numbers traced": true,
  "like for like": true
 },
 "site_publish_share": true,
 "site_share_pct": 25,
 "verified_at": "2026-10-24T08:09:23.000Z",
 "verified_by": "etl/price_verify.py",
 "verified_prices": {
  "73487": {
   "value": 90,
   "basis": "member"
  },
  "132580": {
   "value": 95,
   "basis": "member"
  }
 },
 "verification_note": "2 price claim(s) verified live",
 "quality_gate": "pass",
 "gated_at": "2026-10-24T08:09:23.000Z",
 "site_publish": true,
 "quality_notes": "new generator: 15 of 15 checks passed"
}

premium over CE 360° · shared scale 0% to +70% across the eleven

Bowmore 12

$109.99list 11-05

CE 360° $83.49 · 12.1% over · #7 of 16 in Islay

per standard drink $4.98 · #13 of 16 in Islay

15 pieces · observed

Highland Park 12

$108.99list 11-05

CE 360° $74.58 · 17.1% over · #3 of 9 in Islands

per standard drink $4.93 · #7 of 9 in Islands

13 pieces · observed

source file: drafts/2026-10-22-n92-tastes-like-tastes-like-bowmore-12.md