Bowmore 22 Year Old 2000 (cask 3737529) – The Octave (Duncan Taylor) | 700ML

Detailed Description

A spectacular 22-year-old Bowmore here. Distilled in 2000, it matured in oak casks before being bottled at cask strength by indie bottler Duncan Taylor for The Octave collection. Only 78 bottles of this whisky have been produced.

Bowmore 22 Year Old 2000 (cask 3737529) – The Octave (Duncan Taylor) | 700ML Tasting Notes

Nose: Quite leathery, with dark fruits. More fruit than peat, but with an appealing coastal, mineral backbone.

Palate: Very clean and coastal. Salt preserved lemons. A smoky tangine laced with rich, aged balsamic vinegar, brown sauce and tamarind.

Finish: Long and fairly salty. The dried fruits of the nose make a welcome return. The peat comes over as a distant kiln chimney. Overall rich and balanced.

Distillery Information

The River Laggan journeys many miles through Islay, cutting its course through ferrous rocks, peat bog, moss and grassy mound, ‘til it finds itself at the Western harbour town of Bowmore, Islay’s capital. The distillery produces some two million litres annually and adheres to strict traditions; production methods have scarcely changed in two centuries. Founded in 1779, by John Simpson, Bowmore is Islay’s oldest distillery. Following purchase in 1837, by William and James Mutter, the distillery was resold in 1892 to the Bowmore Distillery Company Ltd. Changing hands twice during the late 1920s, in 1963 the distillery was purchased for £117,000 by Stanley P Morrison. Bowmore has had a long affiliation with Japanese pioneers Suntory, who acquired a stake in the company during the late 1980s. In 1994, they bought the company outright. Bowmore enjoys a curious middle-ground as far as flavour is concerned; far from being a lighter offering – à la Northern Islay-based Bunnahabhain – the spirit is not as heavily peated nor as smoky, as its three Southern cousins surrounding Port Ellen. Today, Bowmore produces a heralded malt and the second best-selling Islay whisky after the leviathan Laphroaig. The range is quite large and independent bottlings have been released as well as a core range of acclaimed house bottlings, including the rare 1993 released Black Bowmore, a 1964 vintage whose initial asking price was around £2,500.