Islay (sunday 31st August 2008)

Sunday morning we met up at Copenhagen airport at 9:30am CET.
Check-in was completed without a glitch and we headed stright for the Diners Club lounge, where CP’s brother also turned up. He was going to a Softball tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, where he is umpireing.

The flight for Heathrow was delayed because of fog in London but we made reather good time and landed not too late in Heathrow to catch our connecting flight to Glasgow.

As it turned out that flight was delayed as well and not suddle fears about maybe missing the plane to Islay were starting to kreep up on us. But luckily we again made pretty good time flying to Glasgow and we caught the plane to Islay without any problems.

Finally: sitting in a very small SAAB 340 turbo-prorp airplane we were on the last leg to whisky-heaven. CP had the best seat in the house as Islay came into wiew: first Ardbeg, then Lagavulin and last, but not least, Laphroig appeared on the lovely coast-line, all bathed in wonderful sunshine.

Islay Airport

Out fantastic guide Christine met us at Islay international airport and drove os to Bowmore (whis is pronounced Bo-More without the “W” by the way) and we checked in to the tremendously cozy Harbour Inn hotel situated right on the coast 50 meters from Bowmore distillery.

Bowmore the view form Harbour Inn

After having dropped all out baggage in the room we went to the Lochside Hotel & Restaurant to have dinner. An excellent 3-course meal followed and we decided to move from the restaurant to the bar. That turned out to be a good decision since wet met a bunch of very nice people from South-Africa. Mark, Marko, Joe(sephine) and Greg drank with us the rest of the evering and since it was Marko’s birthday after midnight, we all went to their rented cottage to have a wee glas of Champagne.

Bowmore Hotel Bar

A long, long day finally ended and we went to sleep at around midnight.

From Islay, it’s GI and CP signing off.

Bowmore

Bowmore 12 and 17 years old.

Bowmore 12 and 17 years old.Different Bowmore bottlings


BOWMORE.


Location : Bowmore, West Coast Islay of Loch Indaal, Islay
Country : Scotch
Region : West Coast Islay
Distillery : 

Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd.
Springburn Bond, Carlisle Street, Glasgow, Scotland
Visitors Centre: Open all year, Tel: 01496 810441.
Opening hours: Mon to Fri, Tours from 10.00am – Last Tour 15.30 (3.30pm)

BOWMORE DISTILLERY • TOUR TIMES
Daily tour times • 10:00,11:00, 14:00 and 15:00 • Saturdays • By appointment
Charges • £2.00 per person £1.00 O.A.P. Shop open Monday to Friday • 9:00 to 17:00
Visitor Centre Tel: 01496 810 671 • Distillery Tel: 01496 810 441 • Fax: 01496 810 757
e.mail: christine.logan@morrisonbowmore.co.uk

Founded: 1779 by Mr. Simson. (Second oldest still on Islay.)
Established: 1768
Water : River Laggan
Remark : Yep it's a rip from www.scotchwhisky.com
Nestling in the hills above the shores of Loch Indaal is the village of Bowmore, considered to be the 'capital' of Islay. The distillery buildings are on the quayside. Bowmore Distillery was established in 1779 by a local merchant, one John Simpson. One of the earliest legal distilleries on the island, it was also owner-operated which, at that time, was unusual, since most proprietors on Islay leased out their distilleries. It was later taken over by one James Mutter and his family: Mutter, as well as being a farmer and distiller had the unlikely role of Ottoman, Portuguese and Brazilian Vice-Consul in Glasgow. Mutter considerably expanded the distillery and thus the Bowmore name began to travel and demand grew. The family kept the distillery until the 1890s when it was sold and became the Bowmore Distillery Co. During the Second World War the buildings were used as a coastal command base by the Air Ministry and the distillery was acquired by Stanley P. Morrison in 1963. Morrison's rebuilt and renovated many of the buildings, retaining the malting floors which are still used today.

From the book 'The Scottish Collection' Classic Malts by Carol P. Shaw :
Tasting notes : With its plesant aroma and peaty-fruty flavour, Bowmore is a good Islay malt for newcomers to these distinctive whiskies to try. Taste rating = 3
Established in the 1770's, Bowmore is reputed to be the oldest legal distillery on Islay. It stands in the island's main town and overlooks Loch Indaal, and its water is taken from the peaty River Laggan. The distillery has passed through several hands in the twentieth century, but it has been a consistently thriving concern since its acquision in 1963 by Stanley P. Morrison of Glasgow. The company is now Morrison Bowmore, and this is their flagship distillery.

From the Morrison Bowmore website:
Bowmore Distillery, one of the oldest in Scotland has stood on the shores of Loch Indaal, on the Hebridean Island of Islay, since 1779.
Its close proximity to the sea is vital in determining the final character of Bowmore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, as is the strict adherence to the traditional production methods handed down to Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd in 1963, by its four previous owners.
Bowmore Distillery is one of an ever decreasing handful of distilleries to produce its own floor malted barley. The barley is still laboriously hand turned, by the Maltman, using the traditional wooden malt shovel. Exactly as his father, grandfather and great grandfather did in the past.
Bowmore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky is produced using water from the Laggan River. Having spent 2000 years percolating through the rock in the hills above, the river gathers the flavours of the rich Islay Peat, the same Peat that fires the Malt drying kiln.
The famous Bowmore Vaults are where Bowmore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky spends nearly all of its life. For many decades it rests quietly in the damp cellars below sea level. The Spanish and American Oak Casks impart rich and mellow flavours to the maturing whisky.
Peat, water, wood, people and tradition accumulate to create the subtle, warm and smoky character of Bowmore Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Another Bowmore Bottle The Bowmore Islay Single Malt logo (From the MorrisonBowmore.co.uk site)


BOTTLINGS

Bowmore Bottle Collection


Bowmore
10 years old
Sorry no picture !  
Age : 10 years old.
Vol : 40%
Price ?

Bowmore
12 years old
Bowmore 12 years old
Age : 12 years old.
Vol : 40%
Price 70cls.. : 315,- Dkr. in Skjold Burne (Tidligere Amager Vincenter)
750ml $34.99 at http://www.winenliquor.com/
100 cls. Dkr. 173,- tax free at Whisky World – Copenhagen Airport.
Remark : Bowmore is a gentle whisky, only a little peat is used in malting and some claim that its geographical situation on the island gives it a balance between the intense malts of the southern shores and the subtler ones of the north.

Bowmore
17 years old.
Sorry no picture !  
Age : 17 Years old
Vol : 40%
Price 750ml $49.50 at http://www.winenliquor.com/
70cls. 498,- Dkr. in Skjold Burne (Tidligere Amager Vincenter).
Tested : Yes
Remark : Islay, with long aftertaste. Smokey and a bit sweet.

Bowmore
21 years old
Bowmore 21 years old  
Age : 21 Years old.
Vol : ?%
Price 750ml $102.00 at http://www.winenliquor.com/

Bowmore
22 Ceramic
Bowmore 22 years old in Ceramic bottle  
Age : 22 Years old
Vol : ?%
Price 750ml $121.00 at http://www.winenliquor.com/

Bowmore
25 years old
Sorry no picture !  
Age : 25 Years old.
Vol : ?%
Price 750ml $121.00 at http://www.winenliquor.com/

Bowmore
30 years old
Bowmore 30 years old in ceramic bottle  
Age : 30 Years old.
Vol : ?%
Price 750ml $175.00 at http://www.winenliquor.com/


Bowmore
Cask Strength
  Bowmore Cask strength
Age : ?
Vol : ?% / Cask
Price 100 cls. Dkr. 319,- tax free at Whisky World in Copenhagen Airport.
Remark : Wonderfull strong warm palate and finish – You might want to add water due to the strength.

Bowmore
Darkest Sherry Cask
Sorry no picture !  
Age : ?
Vol : ?%
Price 700 cls. Dkr. 299,- tax free at Whisky World in Copenhagen Airport.

Bowmore
Legend
Age : ?
Vol : ?%
Price 750ml $26.39 at http://www.winenliquor.com/

Bowmore
Single Select
Bowmore Single Select  
Age : ?
Vol : ?%
Price ?

Bowmore
Surf
Bowmore Surf single islay malt whisky  
Age : ?
Vol : ?%
Price ?

Bowmore
Vintage
Age : ? Vintage
Vol : ?%
Price ?

LINKS………. to official Whisky brand or related web pages.
Morrison Bowmore Morrison Bowmore Distillers Limited


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