BOWMORE® ISLAY SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY RELEASES BOWMORE® 27 YEAR OLD PORT CASK — THE THIRD AND FINAL RELEASE OF THE BOWMORE® VINTNER’S TRILOGY
Crafted in One of the World’s Oldest Scotch Maturation Houses, The Full, Collectible Trilogy of Luxury Whiskies is Now Available in the U.S.
Islay, Scotland (September 11, 2018) – Bowmore, the oldest licensed distillery established in 1779 on Scotland’s isle of Islay, has released Bowmore® 27 Year Old Port Cask, the third and final expression in the Bowmore® Single Malt Scotch Whisky Vintner’s Trilogy. Available as of September 2018, the 27 Year Old Port Cask joins Bowmore® 18 Year Old Double Matured Manzanilla and Bowmore® 26 Year Old Wine Matured, both released in November 2017. The now-complete Trilogy was created and matured in the distillery’s famed No.1 Vaults, one of the world’s oldest Scotch maturation houses, imbuing the brand’s signature flavor with attributes of the finest ex-wine, ex-sherry and ex-port casks.
The Bowmore Vintner’s Trilogy is the result of generations of distilling expertise and the unique, sea-buffeted atmosphere of the No.1 Vaults. The whiskies within the Trilogy have been meticulously aged in manzanilla sherry, port, wine and bourbon barrels, imparting complex layers of flavor to the signature smoky Bowmore profile to produce this range of premium, collectable whiskies.
“We are thrilled to release Bowmore 27 Year Old Port Cask to complete the Bowmore Vintner’s Trilogy,” says Kale Schnettler, Director Super Premium Whiskey at Beam Suntory. “Steeped in nearly 240 years of heritage, coupled with our No. 1 Vaults aging warehouse has made this brand one of the world’s most coveted Scotch whiskies. This Vintner’s Trilogy exemplifies the expertise of our distiller and blender to produce three distinctly different, wine-matured whiskies meant to be sipped, savored and certainly collected.”
THE HIDDEN GEMS OF BOWMORE’S VINTNER’S TRILOGY:
BOWMORE 27 YEAR OLD PORT CASK
Released this September 2018 in the U.S., this exceptional limited-edition Scotch whisky is double matured, first for 13 years in ex-bourbon barrels, then for 14 years in port pipes, resulting in a deep mahogany coloring with flavors of sultanas, sugarplums and salted caramel added to Bowmore’s signature sweet and salty notes with a touch of smoke. To preserve the full flavor, this expression is non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength (48.3% ABV) for a suggested retail price of $520.00.
TASTING NOTES: On the nose, peaty and medicinal with a strong toffee, herbal and spicy character followed by heather and a hint of rosemary and old Port wine notes are complemented by raspberry coulis and red berries. The finish develops into earthy carbolic notes, with salted dates, dried herbs, sweet tobacco, sweet dried cranberries and a touch of white pepper.
BOWMORE 26 YEAR OLD WINE MATURED
Available as of November 2017, Bowmore 26 Year Old Wine Matured spent its first 13 years in ex-bourbon barrels before a second maturation of 13 years in wine barriques, which gives the whisky a burnt amber coloring. In this expression, the brand’s signature earthy smoke mixes with redcurrant jam, camphor oil and cherry pie. This full-bodied whisky finishes with a hint of salt, resulting from the influence of Bowmore’s maturation warehouse being one of the only, in the world, that is below sea level. This expression is bottled at cask strength (48.7% ABV) and available for a suggested retail price of $540.00.
Tasting notes: On the nose you find spiced oak, papaya and mango and a honeyed sweetness. On the palate, the flavors develop into oak spiced smoke and rich dark chocolate with a long finish.
BOWMORE 18 YEAR OLD DOUBLE MATURED MANZANILLA
Also released in November 2017, Bowmore 18 Year Old is first matured in ex-bourbon barrels and then goes through a second maturation in ex-manzanilla sherry barrels. The sherry aging imparts an antique, gold coloring, while providing layers of fruity blackcurrants, spicy citrus and vanilla fudge to Bowmore’s legendary peat smoke. This expression is bottled at cask strength (52.5% ABV) and available for a suggested retail price of $127.00.
Tasting notes: On the nose, treacle, salted caramel, ripe blackcurrants, soft stone fruits, spiced Seville oranges with subtle hints of menthol and chamomile. On the palate, bitter oranges and a burst of smoke.
ABOUT BOWMORE®
Founded in 1779, Bowmore is the oldest licensed 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; the malt is carefully smoked in a peat-fired kiln, using skills handed down from generation to generation to craft a perfectly balanced Single Malt.
Bowmore adheres to traditional production methods which helps to shape the character of its single malts. Today, it prides itself as one of the rare distilleries which still produces its own floor malted barley, hand-turned by a traditional wooden malt shovel and hand drawn machinery. Water for the whiskies is specially drawn from the Laggan River, with its peaty overtones, the same Islay peat that fires the malt-drying kiln.
Bowmore Distillery’s proximity to the sea is also vital in determining the final character of its spirit. The legendary Bowmore No. 1 Vaults, one of the world’s oldest Scotch maturation warehouses, is where some of the 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 and sherry, gradually developing rich and mellow flavors. It is 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.
Bowmore domestic product range: Bowmore 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old, 18 Year Old and 25 Year Old.
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About Beam Suntory Inc.
As the world’s third largest premium spirits company, Beam Suntory is Crafting the Spirits Brands that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including the iconic Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon brands and Suntory whisky Kakubin, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek bourbon, Yamazaki, Hakushu and Hibiki Japanese whiskies, Teacher’s, Laphroaig, and Bowmore Scotch whiskies, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Hornitos and Sauza tequila, EFFEN and Pinnacle vodka, Sipsmith gin, and Midori liqueur.
Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and commitment to Growing for Good. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.