Bowmore 30 Year Old Sea Dragon Limited Edition Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2009) 75cl
This Bowmore 30 Years Old is also known as the Sea Dragon (Kranna Dubh in Gaelic) because of the design on the black ceramic bottle and the accompanying presentation box. However, it is not just the presentation which is remarkable, but also the whisky itself with Serge Valentin of whiskyfun, awarding it 91 points. It has notes of tropical fruit.
The oldest distillery on Islay, Bowmore has been described as the Grande Dame of the island, and still has its own floor maltings which make up about 30% of its requirements. Its No. 1 vault is the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland and the only one below sea level.
This wonderful whisky has attained near mythical status, so it seems entirely fitting that it's vessel bears the image of another mythical creature, the Sea Dragon!
Stirred from his thousand year sleep by Fionn mac Cumhail, known as Fingal, the sea dragon, Kranna Dubh, swam to the shore at Bowmore to do battle. It ended with Kranna mortally wounded by Fingal's magical sword, Mac a' Luin, his dark blood seeping into the waters.
It is said, when the sun sets, Loch Indaal turns red with his blood - and that local mothers scold their children severely, if they ever catch them pitching stones into the Loch. Gulp!
This is the scarcer 750 ml version.
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.
43% ABV
75cl
