The Bowmore Distillery, one of the oldest in Scotland, has stood on the shores of Loch Indaal, on the Hebridean Island of Islay, since 1779 (and quite possibly for a few years before that). This makes us the first ever distillery on the island (well, legal distillery anyway).
Bowmore is one of only a few distilleries anywhere which still produces its own floor malted barley, hand-turned by traditional wooden malt shovel.For their whiskies they draw water from the Laggan River, with its rich peaty overtones, and it's the same Islay peat that fires the malt drying kiln.
The famous Bowmore No. 1 vaults is where most of their whiskies spend their long lives resting quietly in the cool, dark, damp cellars below sea level, oblivious to the waves thrashing the vault's sea-facing wall.
They mature in oak casks, previously used for bourbon, sherry or claret, gradually developing rich and mellow flavours.
It's this combination of peat, barley, sea breeze, water, wood, people and tradition that together create the subtle, warm and smoky character of Bowmore single malt whiskies.
Bowmore 17 Years Old 700ml:
'The managers dram' the Bowmore 17 year old has a huge amount of fans Worldwide but it's only been available in Travel Retail for the past few years. You can now purchase the 17 at Whisky and More, it's so good it was awarded a Gold Medal winner at International Spirits Challenge.
This particular Bowmore is revered in the whisky industry as a benchmark spirit and is often used in blind tastings by other companies as a measuring stick of a quality spirit.
oh.. and it's called the managers dram because it's been the past 3 distillery managers at Bowmore's favorite dram.
TASTING NOTES:
Colour: Warm Antique Gold.
Nose: Light peat smoke, rich treacle toffee and ripe exotic fruits.
Palate: Luscious creamy toffee and a malty sweetness are accompanied with a delicious warm smokiness.
Finish: Incredibly smooth warm and comforting
Find out more at bowmore.com - you'll need decent bandwidth!
Bottoms up,
W&M
