Tradition and History Come Alive at Bowmore
If you are a Scotch Whisky enthusiast, planning to visit Scotland in the near future, Islay could be just the place for you.. Islay (pronounced eye-la) is the Hebridean island home to eight whisky distilleries producing some of the most sought after single malt whiskies in the world, the industry providing an important source of income to the island along with farming and fishing.
It is not difficult to find excellent accommodation on Islay and at Bowmore distillery they even have their own holiday cottages where you can stay and enjoy a complementary tour of the distillery and sample their excellent single malt whisky. There are 130 miles of beautiful coastline, around which seven of the distilleries are sited. The inhabitants number approximately 3500 and there is a strong community spirit. There are a number of festivals throughout the year including the festival of Malt and Music in May, which celebrates the rich heritage in Whisky production on Islay.
The first record of whisky making in Scotland goes back to 1494 and is thought to have been started by Irish monks. Many of the distilleries started out as farms where home stills were used to produce grain spirit. The process of distilling began after the harvest and continued until late April This cycle has continued down the centuries, and even today many of the distilleries are closed in August for the 'silent season'.
Bowmore Distillery in the town of Bowmore on the shores of Loch Indaal is the oldest on Islay and one of the oldest in Scotland; established in 1779 by David Simpson a local merchant and pioneer who built the distillery, produced the whisky and introduced Islay whisky to the world. Bowmore Distillery has changed hands four times in the last 200 years but traditional methods of production are still used and handed down by word of mouth.
Single malt whiskies have a wide diversity of flavour and taste, and no two are identical even if the distilleries that produce them are side by side. The individual character of each whisky is determined by fermentation time, style of stills and operation, type of condensers used and the amount of spirit saved known as cut. Peat, barley, water and wood strongly influence the flavour of the whisky produced at Bowmore, which is known for its warm smoky character with peaty, toffee flavours and some floral scents with a trace of linseed oil.
The quality of Islay whisky is strongly influenced by the sea spray that sweeps across the island with the winter gales, and sinks through the heather into the peat. Bowmore distillery takes its water from the pure source of the Laggan River which flows down from the mountains carrying with it the rich flavours and colouring from the peat as it goes.
Bowmore is one of only a few distilleries to still produce their own floor malted barley in the traditional way. The island peat is also used in the malting process which further adds to the quality and flavour. The barley which is sourced from the east of Scotland is turned by hand by the maltman using a wooden shovel.
At Bowmore Distillery traditional methods are used by a very experienced team, most of whom have worked at the distillery for many years. Demand for Bowmore single malt whisky is high and it is exported to forty countries around the world. A bottle of Black Bowmore, distilled in 1897 was recently sold at auction for 1400. The whisky if left to mature in the famous Bowmore vaults where the damp cellars are below sea level, keeping them at a constant temperature the year round, stored in casks of Spanish and American Oak which adds to the rich mellow flavours of the maturing whisky. The workforce take great pride in the single malt whisky they produce and their constant efforts make Bowmore a world class dram.
It is not difficult to find excellent accommodation on Islay and at Bowmore distillery they even have their own holiday cottages where you can stay and enjoy a complementary tour of the distillery and sample their excellent single malt whisky. There are 130 miles of beautiful coastline, around which seven of the distilleries are sited. The inhabitants number approximately 3500 and there is a strong community spirit. There are a number of festivals throughout the year including the festival of Malt and Music in May, which celebrates the rich heritage in Whisky production on Islay.
The first record of whisky making in Scotland goes back to 1494 and is thought to have been started by Irish monks. Many of the distilleries started out as farms where home stills were used to produce grain spirit. The process of distilling began after the harvest and continued until late April This cycle has continued down the centuries, and even today many of the distilleries are closed in August for the 'silent season'.
Bowmore Distillery in the town of Bowmore on the shores of Loch Indaal is the oldest on Islay and one of the oldest in Scotland; established in 1779 by David Simpson a local merchant and pioneer who built the distillery, produced the whisky and introduced Islay whisky to the world. Bowmore Distillery has changed hands four times in the last 200 years but traditional methods of production are still used and handed down by word of mouth.
Single malt whiskies have a wide diversity of flavour and taste, and no two are identical even if the distilleries that produce them are side by side. The individual character of each whisky is determined by fermentation time, style of stills and operation, type of condensers used and the amount of spirit saved known as cut. Peat, barley, water and wood strongly influence the flavour of the whisky produced at Bowmore, which is known for its warm smoky character with peaty, toffee flavours and some floral scents with a trace of linseed oil.
The quality of Islay whisky is strongly influenced by the sea spray that sweeps across the island with the winter gales, and sinks through the heather into the peat. Bowmore distillery takes its water from the pure source of the Laggan River which flows down from the mountains carrying with it the rich flavours and colouring from the peat as it goes.
Bowmore is one of only a few distilleries to still produce their own floor malted barley in the traditional way. The island peat is also used in the malting process which further adds to the quality and flavour. The barley which is sourced from the east of Scotland is turned by hand by the maltman using a wooden shovel.
At Bowmore Distillery traditional methods are used by a very experienced team, most of whom have worked at the distillery for many years. Demand for Bowmore single malt whisky is high and it is exported to forty countries around the world. A bottle of Black Bowmore, distilled in 1897 was recently sold at auction for 1400. The whisky if left to mature in the famous Bowmore vaults where the damp cellars are below sea level, keeping them at a constant temperature the year round, stored in casks of Spanish and American Oak which adds to the rich mellow flavours of the maturing whisky. The workforce take great pride in the single malt whisky they produce and their constant efforts make Bowmore a world class dram.
About the Author:
Daphne Hamilton is a travel writer and historian with a keen interest in the history of single malt whisky production in Scotland. Her local distillery at Bowmore is just one of many distilleries in Scotland that produce single malt whisky.
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