October 2016 – Bowmore

The Bowmore distillery on Islay was built in 1779, at least that’s the claim made by their marketeers. This would make Bowmore one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland! It is currently own by the Suntory Group of Japan. Bowmore has a style of its own which has many enthusiastic fans, including myself. They’re not heavily peated like Laphroaig, Ardbeg or Lagavulin, yet you know you’re drinking an Islay scotch with its smoky finish. Bowmore still makes its own maltings, although the three malt floors only produce about a third of all its malting needs. The rest is produced in nearby Port Ellen.

Bowmore has a popular core range including the 12, 15 and 18 year olds. However, for this tasting we’re also going to explore more exotic bottlings from independent bottlers including cask strength whiskies. In my experience, these bottlings often don’t taste at all like the classic core range bottlings and I would never guess the whisky I’m drinking comes from that particular distillery. For those of you not great fans of Bowmore, I think this tasting might change your mind!