Bowmore Darkest Islay 15 Years

Whisky
Tasting Notes:
Following in the footsteps of the famous Black Bowmore, it also matures for 12 to 13 years in the best distillery cellars in Oloroso sherry casks. These give it a dark amber colour as it ages. Its balanced aromas of peat smoke and sherry, and its voluminous body, combine with a typical Islay character - slightly smoky, dry and seaweed-like, with a touch of fresh sea breeze. Its finish is warming, smooth and long with plenty of sherry.

Distillery:
Bowmore (meaning great reef) is one of the oldest active distilleries in Scotland, founded in 1779 in the eponymous capital of the Hebridean island of Islay. Michael Jackson, the well-respected whisky writer, described Bowmore as one of the great malt distilleries. The seaside location and the adherence to traditional production methods is decisive for the final character of Bowmore whiskies. It is one of the few distilleries where the barley is still malted on its own maltings, and turned by hand by the maltman. The Bowmore distillery uses water from the Laggan river to make its single malts, which slowly trickles down from the hills through the rock and rich peat soils of Islay into the valley, giving the Bowmore whisky its characteristic peaty flavour. The same goes for the peat itself, which is burnt in order to dry the malted barley. The Bowmore Malt spends most of its life in the moist vaults of the distillery, below sea level. Spanish and American oak barrels give it the mellow aroma of a mature whisky. The long-standing commitment to whisky and the outstanding quality of the Bowmore Islay Single Malts were honoured in 1995 with the Distillery of the Year award.