Bowmore 32 Year Old No Corners To Hide (Travel Retail Exclusive) Frank Quitely 70cl
Bowmore has introduced its No Corners to Hide series, a collaboration between acclaimed graphic artist Frank Quitely, who has illustrated for Marvel and DC Comics, and Bowmore’s Master Blender Ron Welsh. The series begins with two new whiskies, a 23 Year Old and a 32 Year Old.
The 32-Year-Old captures “a moment in time; a story as captivating as the myth it celebrates,” says the brand. An initial 30 years of maturation in ex-bourbon American oak hogsheads reflects a timely occupation in cask, much like the devil’s own alleged escape. This was followed by two further years in Essencia barriques to bring an unusually distinctive character to the fore, again combining beeswax, incense and struck match. Each bottle comes complete with a signed print from Frank Quitely, alongside original sketches and notes from the whisky making process.
Bottled at 47.3%, the 32 Year Old offers aromas of zesty Seville orange peel, old cigar box, Manuka honey, salted caramel, and light gorse flower. The nose features a touch of liquorice, sweet fresh tobacco, oak spice, nutmeg, peppercorn and cloves, vanilla, peat smoke and iodine. The finish is mouth warming with flavors of dry grass and subtle smoke.
“Bowmore has a rich history filled with myths and legends, and we’re delighted to partner with the award-winning Frank Quitely to bring these tales to life,” said Manuel González, Marketing Director GTR for Beam Suntory. “Possessing a proven track record of producing collectible artwork with both Marvel and DC, the Frank Quitely Collection is our latest exciting collaboration to offer luxury limited-editions to our customers.”
Bowmore No Corners to Hide is available exclusively in select Global Travel Retail outlets including Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol, Dubai, and Singapore Changi.
Just 6666 bottles of the 23 Year Old will be made available and 666 bottles of the 32 Year Old will be released.
Now out of stock everywhere
About Bowmore
Bowmore is located in the centre of Islay and occupies a central role in the island’s whiskies. The distillery has retained its own floor maltings which account for 40% of its needs and when mixed with malt from the mainland results in a medium peated spirit.
Its smoke, reminiscent of beach bonfires, mingles with a distinctly saline note, flowers, cereal, citrus and underneath a touch of tropical fruit. It is this character which, when matured in refill casks for a long period of time, becomes the primary aroma, the peat seemingly disappearing completely.
A significant percentage of the make is aged in ex-Sherry butts which take Bowmore off in another direction – one of dark fruits, chocolate, coffee, citrus and smoke. The extensive range picks and chooses between these extremes. A significant percentage of the distillery’s whisky is matured on the island, with the distillery’s No.1 Vaults being held to have the most extraordinary microclimate. This chill, damp environment – the vault is below the level of Loch Indaal and one wall makes up the town’s sea wall – is seen as ideal for long-term maturation.
There are claims that Bowmore’s distillery started operation in 1779, but there’s no evidence of whisky being made until a certain John Simpson took out a licence in 1816. It wouldn’t be until 1837 when the Glasgow blending firm, Wm & Jas. Mutter took over that it began to gain traction and reputation. In 1841, Windsor Castle requested a cask of Bowmore – this being a time when the English palate was considered too delicate (or Scotch too bold). As often happens, the distillery passed through a number of hands before in this case it was bought, in 1963, by broker Stanley P. Morrison. The Morrison era saw the start of what is recognised as a legendary period in Bowmore’s history – its mid-1960s bottlings are legendary.
The distillery was substantially modernised with an innovative heat recovery system not only cutting down on fuel bills but creating sufficient excess hot water to heat the town’s swimming pool. In 1989 the Japanese distiller Suntory bought a stake in the distillery and took full control in 1994, the year after the ground-breaking Black Bowmore was launched. This 100% Sherry-aged release was sold for what at the time was seen as the ludicrously inflated price of £100.
In 2014 Suntory bought Jim Beam which, from an Islay perspective, sees two of Islay’s most iconic single malts (Bowmore and Laphroaig) under the same ownership.
47.3% ABV
70cl
