Bowmore Distillery
Bowmore distillery perches on the shores of Lochindaal, across from the water from another distillery, at Bruichladdich. It was officially licensed in 1816 but whisky was being produced as early as 1779, making it the oldest distillery on the island and one of the oldest in Scotland as a whole.
Bowmore has seen many owners come and go through the long years but perhaps its most successful period came under the watchful eye of Stanley P. Morrison, a whisky broker from Glasgow who purchased the distillery in 1963. The Stanley P. Morrison company, later renamed ‘Morrison Bowmore‘, was acquired by Japanese shareholder Suntory in 1994, but bottlings from the 1960s remain among the most collectable and sought-after on the secondary market – a testament to the perceived quality being produced at the time?
Recent modernisation of the distillery led to the ground-breaking development of a heat recovery system which collects and stores excess hot water and then transfers it to the MacTaggart Leisure Centre, a public swimming pool developed in 1991 inside an old, disused warehouse.
A high percentage of Bowmore’s spirit is matured in sherry casks and this 10 year old ‘Dark and Intense’ travel retail exclusive features a marriage of ‘Spanish Oak Sherry Casks and Hogsheads‘. Bottled at 40% alcohol by volume, it retails at £40 for a litre bottle.
The Whisky
Smell: Strong sherry influence at first – raisins & sultanas and dark chocolate – though it fades over time and notes of vanilla and malt appear, along with the undercurrent of perfumed peat smoke.
Taste: Sherry again – less prominent than on the nose – Cinnamon, orange, salted caramel, honey and lemon… Sea salt. Touch of pepper but little to no heat. Smoky finish.
Thoughts: Travel retail expressions that carry an age statement are something of a rare beast these days, so it’s nice to see Bowmore stick to their guns and offer up a 10 year old. I think the standard 12 year old expression probably has more balance to it but the 10 was enjoyable enough for the price. The sherry is a bit superficial and disappears after a lively entrance but the young, salty and smoky spirit it leaves behind isn’t unpleasant in itself.
Not bad, as far as the wasteland that is Travel Retail goes, but probably not one I’d rush to buy it again. Nice to have the litre bottle though.
Leave a Reply