BOWMORE 18 year old really shows Bowmore whisky at its best. The 18 year old is matured (like the 12 year old) in both ex-Bourbon and Sherry casks. The result is a richly perfumed and densely structured whisky with a typical, medium smokiness.
Highly aromatic on the nose with a distinct floral/perfumed note complimented by notes of chocolate and smoke. The palate is rich and heavy with more of the perfumed note, some raisined fruits and a well balanced smokiness.
Bowmore distillery is the oldest on Islay and lies on the shores of Loch Indaal in the island’s capital. 1779 is often quoted as the year of the distilleries birth but in fact it wasn’t until 1816 that John Simpson applied for a license to distill on the site. Though of course, that doesn’t mean distilling wasn’t going on beforehand…
In many ways, the town of Bowmore is an odd place to build a distillery, what with the lack of fresh water. The distillery takes it’s water from the River Laggan, a total of five miles away. The water is diverted via a complicated lade that zig-zags across awkward terrain for a total of nine miles before it reaches the distillery.
This setup has not been without it’s problems. In 2008 for example, rain levels on the island were unusually low. According to the Met Office, just 16% of the average rainfall for the month of May had fallen. The outcome of this was a complete halt in production for a number of weeks until, finally, the rain came again. Fortunately, such low levels of rainfall aren’t something experienced very often in Scotland and Bowmore is now able to get on with producing it’s spirit unhindered.
In 1963 Bowmore was bought by Stanley P. Morrison who would go on to acquire Glen Garioch and Auchentoshan distilleries before his Morrison Bowmore company was purchased by Japanese giant Suntory.
