The first licensed distiller on the Islay and the second in Scotland – the earliest mentions of the Bowmore Distillery are found in 1779, with distillation having begun 10 years prior. The distillery is located in the centre of Islay and occupies a central role in the island’s whiskies with water sourced from the nearby River Laggan and grows their own barley before embarking upon a unique hand-crafted distillation process that ends with patient maturation within hand-picked casks in their legendary No. 1 vaults.
The distillery has seen an upward trend since it was bought by Stanley.P Morisson in 1963. The distillery modernisation plan had an innovative heat recovery system where in the waste heat from the distillation process goes to heat a nearby public swimming pool that was built in one of the distillery’s former warehouses.
In 1989, the Japanese distiller Suntory bought a stake in the distillery and took full control in 1994. In 2014 Suntory bought Jim Beam bringing together two Islay distilleries – Bowmore and Laphroaig under the same ownership.
The distillery offers a number of whiskies within their core range, consisting of 12-, 15-, 18-, and 25-Year-Old single malts. Each dram offers a carefully poised blend of mild smoke, maritime minerality, and unexpected fresh stone fruit notes. Having bagged quite a few accolades over the past few decades, Bowmore is proudly leading the Islay charge forward.
Region: Islay
Area: Isle of Islay / Argyll
Current Owner: Morison Bowmore Distillers (Beam Suntory)
Founded : 1816
Founder : John Simpson
No. of wash stills: 2
No. of spirit stills: 2
Capacity (litres): 2,000,000.00
Website: www.bowmore.com
English