Scotland, Islay: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

 

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Bowmore

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The distillery

Bowmore distillery
Bowmore Distillery
Bowmore,
Islay - Argyll
PA43 7JS
+44 1496 810 441
Owner: Morrisson Bowmore Distillers Ltd
Creation date 1779

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Bowmore is one of the biggest and oldest distilleries from Islay.
It was founded in 1779 by David Simpson in the capital of the island, Bowmore. The distillery stayed in the Simpson family until 1837 when it was sold to William and James Mutter. James Mutter was also consul of the Ottoman Empire, Brazil and Portugal in Glasgow.
Joseph Robert Holmes took the distillery over in 1892, and gave it the name of "Bowmore Distillery Co". In 1925, the distillery become propriety of Sheriffs' Bowmore Distillery Ltd.
In 1950, William Grigor & Sons layed his hand on the distillery who was bankrupt in 1963, before being bought by Stanley P. Morrison. The name was changed in Morrison Bowmore in 1987.
Since 1994, the Morrison Bowmore group belongs to the japanese Suntory group.
The village of Bowmore is situated in a creek called Loch Indaal.
The distillery is situated between the North and the South of the Island, and the whisky can be considered as being just between the Northern style and the Southern one. The taste of Bowmore is something between the intense southern malts (Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Port Ellen) and the smoother ones from the North (Caol Ila, Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain).
Bowmore whiskies are characterized by a great complexity.
The river Laggan carries peaty waters. However, the peat from the region of Bowmore is quite more sandy as peat from other regions..
A great deal of the Bowmore whisky is marketed as single malt, but it is also part of a variety of blends like King Pride, Clan Roy, Black Bottle and Islay Legend.

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The whisky

The sites below offer tasting notes for this distillery. Please click on the logo to access this notes.

France whisky-distilleries www.whisky-distilleries.info
Passionnés du malt passionnesdumalt.free.fr
Comaw Club o. mosellan des amateurs de whisky
Single Malt Passion Single Malt Passion by Laphroaig43
English whisky-distilleries www.whisky-distilleries.info
Whiskyfun www.whisky-fun.com
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Geography

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Islay

Islay Map

The Isle of Islay on the West coast, is by far the most appreciated producing area amongst the single malt lovers. Even if its surface is rather small, there are no less than 8 active distilleries, including a new one.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information
about the Islay area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please
click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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Photos of the distillery

  The Bowmore distillery situated in the Bowmore village remains a great classic in distillery visits.
The distillery is the only on Islay to belong to a Japanese group, which helps it in its export to Asia.
If the distillery is mythic, its visit remains classic. It is one of the only Islay distilleries which still produces part of its malt. Due to contracts with Diageo, no distillery on the island is allowed to produce 100% of its malt. This was one of the conditions for the creation of the "Port Ellen Maltings" in Port Ellen.
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