Whiskyland Ch.2 Bowmore 20 Year

Tasting Notes

Producer Tasting Note

"This is a gorgeous and very classical modern, mature Bowmore. Fully matured in a refill hogshead, this is just layer upon layer of soft peat smoke, coastal complexity and gorgeous tropical fruit."

90pts Whisky Fun

"You know, Whisky Sponge and WhiskyLand are much of a muchness. But wait, was 2004 really 20 years ago? Colour: gold. Nose: quite similar to the Sponge, which is certainly good news. Perhaps a touch more mineral and slightly less expressive, but it gains in elegance. Think sushi, small lemons, finger lime, yuzu, and Sauvignon Blanc rather than Riesling… With water: it gets even closer to the Sponge, to the point where telling them apart becomes tricky. Mouth (neat): smoked lemon and cigar ashes in your glass. With water: slightly tauter than the Sponge, with hints of melon and peach, but honestly, you could drink a double magnum of each and still not tell them apart for certain. Best to skip that challenge, I think. Finish: superb. Matte ashes and a touch of cocoa. Comments: a magnificent WhiskyCoast… I mean, WhiskyLand. The score is merely anecdotal. SGP:555 - 90 points."

Distillery

Bowmore Distillery is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland and is the oldest on Islay that still exists, having been founded in 1779. It currently vies with Lagavulin to be the 2nd best-selling Islay Single Malt brand.

The Distillery itself lies within the town which shares its name and is right against the shoreline of Loch Indaal. Even though the distillery is on the coast, it can still be considered closest to the centre of Islay. The town of Bowmore only predates the distillery by less than two decades, and it was the first planned settlement in Scotland.

The town’s gridlike layout and construction were initiated in 1768 by Daniel Campbell the Younger, who was the owner of the Islay and part of Jura. He resided in the famous Islay House and planned the town of Bowmore to resettle residents from the village of Kilarrow.  Kilarrow was situated close to Islay House, near what is now called Bridgend. It is said that Daniel the Younger felt that Kilarrow spoiled the view between Islay House and Loch Indaal. All that remains of the old village is a cemetery on Islay House property.

On the upside, Daniel the Younger did also build the now-famous Kilarrow Parish that is atop the hill in Bowmore. The church is famous for being entirely round so that it gives to corner for the devil to hide in. Bowmore and the Kilarrow Parish lay a little over 4km south of Bridgend and where the previous village existed. Currently, the town of Bowmore is populated by around 800 residents.

As for the distillery, Bowmore’s nearest neighbour is Bruichladdich, which is a 15-minute drive West along the coastal road A847 to the other side of Loch Indaal. Caol Ila Distillery is about a 20-minute drive to the East along the A846. If you head South from Bowmore the Port Ellen Maltings (and soon the rebuilt Port Ellen Distillery is about a 20-minute drive as well, and from there you can get to Laphroaig Distillery, Lagavulin and Ardbeg which all lie within 10 minutes drive from there.

Like Laphroaig, the Bowmore distillery is owned by parent company Beam Suntory. Also like Laphroaig, Bowmore is one of three distilleries on Islay to have its own on-site floor maltings and peat kilns, which are able to produce just about one-third of Bowmore’s needs for mashing and distillation.

Insert Peat Here: One of the Kilns At Bowmore Distillery

The 12 Year Old has been one of the core expressions in the Bowmore range for quite a while. Included in the core range are the no age statement Bowmore No.1, the 12 Year, 15 Year, 18 Year, and 25 Year Old. Various limited expressions have been available over the past few years, including the ongoing Vaults series, the Winemaker’s Trilogy. Currently, there are sparse independent bottlings available of Bowmore, and they tend to be expensive when they are released.