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The Distillery

Bowmore is one of those names that everybody vaguely familiar with whisky will recognize. No wonder! It has a long and rich history and can boast that it was the first distillery on Islay to obtain legal status back in 1779.

This Islay distillery sits on the shore of Loch Indaal in the centre of the town of Bowmore from which the distillery takes its name. Bowmore is also distinguished for producing the oldest ever Islay malt, being a 1957 malt bottled at 54 years old in a crystal decanter with a price tag of around £100,000. That's expensive whisky!

The company has changed hands a number of times in the 200+ years since it was founded. The current owner is the Japanese beverage giant Suntory, who acquired 100% ownership in 1994 after an initial purchase of a 34% stake five years earlier.

On top of owning Bowmore, Suntory also owns Laphroaig, Ardmore, Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch along with American and Japanese brands.

The distillery is one of the few that still have a working malting on site, malting a large portion of the barley which goes into making its whisky.

Style wise Bowmore is peated and lighter than many of the heavier Islay whiskies. Typical flavours are light smoke, sherry sweetness and dried fruits but many older bottlings also contain floral notes, especially violets. While these are the traditional flavours of Bowmore, it's worth remembering that they might not be the ones that you find in indie bottlings!

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Bowmore 1996 17 Years Old
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16-25 Years

Bowmore 17 Year Old (1996)

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$399.99

This beautiful Bowmore 17 Year Old was distilled on Islay in 1996 and matured in a single cask before being bottled for the Japanese market. It brings notes of freshly cut grass, light citrus fruits, gentle peat smoke and subtle herbal tones. It’s a wonderful whisky of which only 68 bottles were released, making it […]

Bowmore Vault Edition
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Black Friday 2019

Bowmore Vault Edition First Release

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$179.99

This bottling of Bowmore Vault Edition was the first release in the series, launched in 2016. The series explored four different characteristics that whiskies pick up in the Bowmore No.1 Vaults maturing warehouse, with this first edition exhibiting the effects of the Atlantic sea waves crashing off the warehouse walls. Notes of sea salt, light […]

Chieftain’s Laphroaig 2004 & Bowmore 2003 Single Cask Set (Utagawa Kunisada)
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10-15 Years

Chieftain’s Laphroaig 2004 & Bowmore 2003 Single Cask Set (Utagawa Kunisada)

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$1,399.99

This stunning two bottle set, released for the Asian market, contains two single malts from a couple of the finest distilleries on Islay – Laphroaig and Bowmore. The expressions were distilled in 2003 and 2004 and they both bring a compelling array of aromas and flavours for you to enjoy. Expect citrus fruits, grassy hints, […]

Islay Big Peat Blended Malt (Santa Claus) 2018
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Ardbeg

Islay Big Peat Blended Malt (Santa Claus) 2018

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$179.99

This Islay Big Peat Blended Malt is a Douglas Laing creation made from some of the finest single malts to come out of Islay. Whisky from Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila and the silent distillery of Port Ellen is included in this fine expression and they combine in harmonious fashion. Expect lots of fruity notes and […]

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