Bowmore 34 Year Old 1989 Limited Single Cask #1972 Sherry Finish Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2023) 70cl
Bowmore 34 Year Old 1989 Limited Single Cask #1972 Sherry Finish Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2023) 70cl
1 of 162 bottles made
Here we have a beautiful combination of the Bowmore spirit matured in a bourbon casks with ten months of sherry finishing. The result is a splendid dram with the Bowmore spirit and an intensity of flavour that is very intense and spicy. the blend between peaty Bowmore character and the wood is just right on.
Amazing value for money compared to the core releases at sub £1000 for a 34 Year Old Bowmore. The 30YO from them sits at £1900 alone. So here is to drinking the same spirit from the same warehouse in the same barrels but at a more competitive price for opening that works out to £34 per dram. You cannot get a 34 year old anything in the £30s per dram. Now you can thanks to Limited Whisky (Decant Group).
TASTING NOTES
About Limited
Limited Whisky are an independent bottler with a lot of experience in cask trade which has led them to commence bottling their own releases for a few years. Part of the Whisky Partners family, they have direct access to high-quality casks sourced from distilleries, individuals, and industry contacts.
Limited carefully select and taste each cask. Some are ready to bottle, while others need more time or may be re-racked into different casks for finishing. This ensures that they only bottle single malts they are proud of. On the face of it as a regular person, we see the text and think "UNCHARTED PLAYSTATION GAME" but when you look further into what they do.... it is a winning combination for the current whisky market and those who genuinely love to drink whisky and open bottles.
Bowmore? Why are they so awesome?
Firstly in our own words at Whisky Situation, the orange peel, bonfire peat is different to the Iodine medicinal nature of Laphroaig and milder than the harsh smokkiness of Ardbeg. We love all of them but Bowmore has a very different "je ne sais quoi" about it that is only understood if you have tried them all. This drink is difficult to appreciate as a beginner to whiskies.
Bowmore is located in the centre of Islay and occupies a central role in the island’s whiskies. The distillery has retained its own floor maltings which account for 40% of its needs and when mixed with malt from the mainland results in a medium peated spirit.
Its smoke, reminiscent of beach bonfires, mingles with a distinctly saline note, flowers, cereal, citrus and underneath a touch of tropical fruit. It is this character which, when matured in refill casks for a long period of time, becomes the primary aroma, the peat seemingly disappearing completely.
A significant percentage of the make is aged in ex-Sherry butts which take Bowmore off in another direction – one of dark fruits, chocolate, coffee, citrus and smoke. The extensive range picks and chooses between these extremes. A significant percentage of the distillery’s whisky is matured on the island, with the distillery’s No.1 Vaults being held to have the most extraordinary microclimate. This chill, damp environment – the vault is below the level of Loch Indaal and one wall makes up the town’s sea wall – is seen as ideal for long-term maturation.
There are claims that Bowmore’s distillery started operation in 1779, but there’s no evidence of whisky being made until a certain John Simpson took out a licence in 1816. It wouldn’t be until 1837 when the Glasgow blending firm, Wm & Jas. Mutter took over that it began to gain traction and reputation. In 1841, Windsor Castle requested a cask of Bowmore – this being a time when the English palate was considered too delicate (or Scotch too bold). As often happens, the distillery passed through a number of hands before in this case it was bought, in 1963, by broker Stanley P. Morrison. The Morrison era saw the start of what is recognised as a legendary period in Bowmore’s history – its mid-1960s bottlings are legendary.
The distillery was substantially modernised with an innovative heat recovery system not only cutting down on fuel bills but creating sufficient excess hot water to heat the town’s swimming pool. In 1989 the Japanese distiller Suntory bought a stake in the distillery and took full control in 1994, the year after the ground-breaking Black Bowmore was launched. This 100% Sherry-aged release was sold for what at the time was seen as the ludicrously inflated price of £100.
In 2014 Suntory bought Jim Beam which, from an Islay perspective, sees two of Islay’s most iconic single malts (Bowmore and Laphroaig) under the same ownership.
44.3% ABV
70cl
