BOWMORE ANNOUNCE LONG-AWAITED SECOND RELEASE OF 50 YEAR OLD EXPRESSION 

Bowmore, Islay’s first Single Malt Scotch Whisky, announce the highly-anticipated second release of Bowmore 50 Year Old, launching on 1^st December 2014. 50 bottles of the 1961 expression will be released this year, with 200 bottles of this extremely rare range being made available globally over a four year period.

Distilled one very cold day in December 1961, the new-make spirit was then carefully filled into two ex-bourbon hogshead casks by the expert Bowmore Distillery team. Half a century later, just 200 bottles were filled with this truly exceptional single malt in which hints of black truffles and tropical fruits reveal the full maturity of Bowmore’s warm, smoky spirit. With a warm, honey gold texture, the bursts of ripe fruit intermingled with black truffles and gentle smoke manifest themselves from the first sip, with an evolving finish of almond cake and caramelised pears interwoven with subtle peat oils.

The Bowmore 50 year old (1961) is a work of true craftsmanship utilising the finest Scottish materials. The collector, for the sum of £16,000, will acquire a bottle which has been hand-blown by renowned glass sculpting studio Glasstorm, while the neck collars and cork tops of the bottles have been beautifully made by Fattorini Silversmiths. To complete the piece, the bottle will be housed within handmade cabinets which have been crafted in Scottish Elmwood by master carpenter Peter Toaig.

Rachel Barrie, Bowmore’s Master Blender, added: “It has been a joy to work with a whisky with such amazing alchemy and complexity of flavour as the Bowmore 50 year old – witnessing the release of these 200 bottles over the next few years is a personal career highlight of mine. Selecting whisky from the 1960s combines the joy of being like a child in a sweetie shop with the taste of being an adult in paradise!”

Eddie MacAffer, Bowmore’s Master Distiller, said: “The second release of this 50 year old Bowmore is reminds us of yet another wonderful example of the older whiskies that the Distillery has matured in our No. 1 Vaults warehouse, right on the shores of Loch Indaal. This rare whisky was slowly and expertly distilled using the old coal-fired stills used in Bowmore at that time and was then filled into ex-bourbon hogshead casks and carefully stored away in the No 1 Vaults. Those that get to taste the results of all that dedication and care, applied since 1961, should feel extremely privileged.”

NOTES: 

Bowmore

The best-balanced Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the perfect reward after your outdoor experience. Founded in 1779, Bowmore is the oldest Distillery on Islay, one of the Scottish isles, which make up the region known as the ‘Islands’ in the lexicon of Whisky. The other regions are the Highlands, Speyside and the Lowlands. Islay malts are famous for their characteristic smokiness and Bowmore is no exception; we carefully smoke our malt and use skills handed down from generation to generation to craft a perfectly balanced Single Malt.

Bowmore’s adherence to traditional production methods helps to shape the character of our Single Malts. We’re one of only a few distilleries anywhere which still produces its own floor malted barley, hand-turned by traditional wooden malt shovel and hand drawn machinery. For our whiskies we draw water from the Laggan River, with its rich peaty overtones, and it’s the same Islay peat that fires the malt-drying kiln.

Bowmore Distillery’s close proximity to the sea is also vital in determining the final character of our spirit. The legendary Bowmore No. 1 Vaults is where most of our 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 perfectly balanced warm and smoky character of Bowmore Single Malt Scotch Whiskies.

The Bowmore domestic product range:

• Bowmore Small Batch
• Bowmore 12 Years Old
• Bowmore 15 Years Old ‘Darkest’
• Bowmore 18 Years Old
• Bowmore 25 Years Old

Islay

Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, and is also known as “The Queen of the Hebrides.” Its mild climate and rich peaty soil make it ideal for creating whisky, and despite having a population of not much more than 3,000, it is home to no fewer than eight working distilleries.