Bowmore 29 Year Old Timeless Collection Limited Edition Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2023) 70cl
1 of 3000 bottles produced from sherry casks
This 29-year-old single malt has been created from a combination of sherry seasoned European oak casks and ex- bourbon American oak barrels filled in 1991 and 1992, offering complexity and promising a mouth warming, yet dry and lengthy finish.
This limited edition Bowmore single malt whisky was created from a combination of European oak and American oak sherry seasoned casks as well as American oak bourbon casks filled in 1991 and 1992. It was then bottled at cask strength, 53.7% ABV, with only 3,000 bottles filled.
TASTING NOTES
Nose Leading with dark fruits akin to sherry-soaked raisins, sweet aromas come to the fore as cocoa, bitter orange merge with cherry blossom and liquorice.
Palate The immersion on the palate is rich and layered, again reflecting a depth of sweetness contrasted with peat and sea salt flavours.
Finish Mouth warming followed by peat drying and salt on the lips with a long lasting finish.
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.
53.7% ABV
70cl
