Joe Micallef Wine and spirits judge, historian and bestselling author. Apart from dealing with sobering world affairs, Joe has been an entertaining educator of wines and spirits and judges at major spirits competitions. He has tasted a range that we could only dream of – from centuries-old ports, Cognacs to many of the world’s oldest whiskies. He also writes on Forbes, The Epoch Times and comments on international politics. Follow Joe on Forbes or his website.

The Bowmore distillery is the oldest distillery on Islay and the second oldest in Scotland, dating back to 1779. It was also the first Islay distillery to officially obtain a government license. Claims of antiquity on Islay are always suspect, however, since most distillers had illegal precursors going back many decades. The excise officers or “gaugers” didn’t appear on Islay until 1797. In 1777, for example, two years before Bowmore’s founding, the Reverend John McLeish in Kilchoman Parish, in a letter to a friend noted that, “We do not have an excise officer on the whole island” and that “the quantity of whisky made here is very great.” 

The village of Bowmore was established in 1766, when Daniel Campbell the Younger, the Laird of Islay, decided to evict the entire village of Killarow, which was adjacent to his own estate at Bridgend, and move its inhabitants to a new site to be called Bowmore on the great bay of the Loch Indaal. In Gaelic Bowmore means “great reef.” In compensation, Campbell offered the villagers a more favorable grant of land or feus. A feus was a perpetual land lease at a fixed rent that could be paid either in cash or grain and did not require military service to the Laird.

The official distillery was established by John P. Simson, a local merchant and entrepreneur who moved to Bowmore from Killarow, in 1766. It’s likely that whisky distillation began shortly after his arrival and predates the official date by a decade or more. It’s also possible that Simson had already been operating a distillery for the Laird at his Bridgend estate. Like many of the other Islay distilleries, Bowmore was established as a “farming distillery,” its land grant came with farmland where the barley intended for whisky distillation would be grown. The Kildalton distilleries, (Lagavulin, Laphroaig and Ardbeg), were all farming distilleries and retained their associated farmland until well into the 19th century.

In 1837, Simson sold the distillery to James and William Mutter, prominent Glasgow merchants. The Mutters had wide ranging farming interests and were well connected politically. James Mutter was also the vice consular representative of the Ottoman Empire, Brazil and Portugal in Glasgow. The Mutters were the first distillers on Islay to use coal to heat the stills. They also commissioned a small steamship to bring coal and barley to Islay and to export Bowmore’s whisky to Glasgow. This was the beginning of the Islay Puffers, shallow-draught vessels that carried goods between Islay and Glasgow. 

The Mutter family sold the distillery in 1892. It had a variety of subsequent owners and appeared to have undergone some periods of financial difficulties and intermittent closures over the next 30 odd years. In 1925, it was purchased by Duncan MacLeod, a Skye merchant operating as J.B. Sheriff & Co. MacLeod had previously owned several distilleries, including the Port Charlotte distillery on Islay. 

During the Second World War, Bowmore, like other Islay distilleries, halted production. The Royal Air Force Costal Command operated sea planes from Loch Indaal on anti-submarine patrols over the North Atlantic. The distillery was sold in 1950 to William Grigor & Son Ltd, a firm of Inverness blenders and spirit merchants that also owned the Glen Albyn distillery.

Bowmore entered the modern period of its history in 1963, when the distillery was bought by Stanley P. Morrison Ltd, a Glasgow whisky broker. Later rechristened Morrison-Bowmore, the distillery was modernized with the addition of a visitor center and a sophisticated heat recovery system. The number of stills were doubled to four and the range of expressions offered by Bowmore was expanded. In 1989, the Japanese brewing and distilling giant Suntory purchased a 35 percent interest in the parent company. It acquired the balance in 1994.

Bowmore has always had a distinctive style that combined pronounced peat smoke with distinctive saline and marine elements. Think of a peat fire on the beach during low tide while the sun dries the kelp that has washed ashore and a gentle salt laced breeze blows over you. Over the last several decades, a range of innovative finishing techniques and alternative cask treatments, from rare Japanese Mizunara oak to a variety of sweet wine casks, has produced a broad range of Bowmore expressions, including many in the “smoky and sweet” style that Islay has become increasingly famous for. There are also a broad range of additional expressions, especially single cask offerings, from independent bottlers. 

Bowmore produces about two million liters of pure alcohol a year. The equivalent to more than six million bottles of Scotch whisky. It is the second best-selling Islay whisky after Laphroaig. In addition to its single malt bottlings of some 20 different expressions, Bowmore, historically, has also supplied single malt for the Brae Dew, Clan Roy, Rob Roy, Black Bottle and Clydebank blended whiskies. Its core range consists of Bowmore legend and 12 YO, 15 YO, 18 YO, 21 YO, 25 YO and 30 YO expressions. A special 50 YO bottling was recently released. Only 200 bottles were produced. The allocation for the U.S. market was limited to six bottles at a retail price of $25,000. 

Bowmore’s water source is the Laggan River. It rises in ancient pre-Cambrian rocks which, at almost two billion years old, are among the oldest in Europe, and flows into Loch Indaal. The river is only about four miles from the distillery, but the gravity fed channel that carries the water has to meander almost eight and a half miles to get around various topographical features, while it drops about a hundred feet, to deliver water to the distillery. The water flows over peat, picking up a brown color and about two ppm phenol; although this is not enough to have a discernable impact on the taste of the whisky. 

The distillery is one of only seven in Scotland that still operates its own malting floor, although it can only produce around 30 percent of its malt needs. The balance is principally sourced from Port Ellen and from Simpsons of Berwick-upon-Tweed on the mainland. All of the malt is peated to an average of 25 ppm phenol. Bowmore’s malting barn has three floors, each of which holds 14 tons of grain. The germinating barley is automatically turned every four hours. Malting typically lasts about seven days.

Kilning takes about 60 hours in total, with peat smoke being applied for the first 18 hours. Bowmore utilizes two separate furnaces for drying the malted barley; a peat furnace to provide peat smoke and a second, oil fired furnace, to provide heated air. During kilning the moisture content of the barley is reduced from around 42 percent to about five percent. Bowmore’s peat comes from the Gartbreck moor, just southwest of the distillery. 

Barley from different sources is ground separately and then mixed in the mash tun. The barley malted at Bowmore is all Optic and is sourced from Islay. The barley is ground to 70 percent grist, 20 percent husks and 10 percent flour. This is a high percentage of husks, but is a typical grind for peated Islay whiskies. Roughly half of the phenolic compounds absorbed by the barley are in the husk, so the percentage of husk retained has a major impact on the quantity of phenolic compounds that are retained in the wash. Mashing lasts about eight hours. Three successive waters are used at 63, 84 and 100 degrees. The latter is recycled as the first water of the next mashing cycle. Roughly 40,000 liters of wort are produced, enough to fill a fermenter. 

The fermentation room has six, 40,000 -liter wooden washbacks made from what the Scots refer to as Oregon pine. In reality, there is no such tree. Oregon pine is actual the coastal variety of Douglas fir. Historically the washbacks were of wood, but these were changed to steel in 1964, and then back to wood in 1991. Whether the choice of steel or wood washbacks has an impact of the final taste of the whisky remains a highly-debated topic on Islay.

The six washbacks each carry a small plaque with the name of a previous owner of the distillery, starting with John Simpson. Approximately 250 pounds of yeast go into each washback. Typically, this is a combination of Mauri and Quest yeasts. The wash or “distiller’s beer” that is produced in the washbacks clocks in at around seven to eight percent ABV, this is at the low end of the usual range of alcoholic strengths. Fermentation lasts about 48 hours during the weekdays, but can continue for up to 62 hours if it extends into the weekend.

Bowmore has two wash stills and two spirit stills. The wash stills have a capacity of just under 31,000 liters and are usually charged to 65 percent, while the spirits still have a capacity of 14,750 liters. They are usually charged to 92 percent. The wash stills are extremely large, by comparison they have roughly three times the capacity of the equivalent skills at Laphroaig. They produce a low wine at 22% ABV.

One of the condenser columns had to be placed outside because there was no way to fit it into the still house. The condensers are unique in that they are divided into two distinct parts and operate at different temperatures. This feature better recycles waste heat and is part of the distillery’s heat recovery system.

Among Scotch whisky distillers it is a given that new stills faithfully mimic the old ones they replace. Typically, a new still has copper walls up to 16 mm thick. These will gradually get thinner from use. When the pots reach two to four mm in thickness, they are replaced. Not only is it important to retain the same exact still shape, same neck length and angle of the lynn arm, same overall height and dimensions, but any dents or other imperfections in the old still are faithfully reproduced lest changes in the shape of the still change the taste or the resulting whisky. 

Bowmore is unusual in that the current stills have virtually nothing in common with the old stills. When Alfred Barnard, the 19th century chronicler of Scotland’s whisky industry visited Bowmore in 1887, he described five stills, three wash stills and two spirit stills, all about a quarter to a third in size of the present stills. These stills were all different shapes and were generally tall with high, sharply angled lynn arms. One still even had two lynn arms, each leading to a different condenser. These were worm tubs rather than modern shell condensers. There is no question that Bowmore’s whisky at the end of the 19th century would have been very different than its whisky today.

The No. 1 spirit still was replaced in 1968. The No. 2 wash still and No. 2 spirit still were installed in 1963, when Stanley Morrison acquired the company. No one seems to remember when the No. 1 wash still was replaced. Today the spirit stills have a gently rising lynn arm, 10 degrees for the No. 1 spirit still and five degrees for the No. 2. The stills, including the necks, are about 19-feet high. The stills are standard pot stills, somewhat pear shaped. The style is also called a Speyside still. They lack any constrictions or boil balls where the pot meets the neck of the still. This means that Bowmore’s distillation, unlike say Ardbeg or Bruichladdich, does not produce a great deal of reflux.

The spirit cut is a particularly wide 76 to 61 percent ABV. The average strength of the new make spirit is 68.8 percent and it is diluted down to 63.5 percent ABV using the local tap water. Each distillation cycle takes about 8 hours. The heart cut is about 2.5 hours long and is preceded by a foreshots run of about 30 minutes. The new make spirit has phenols in the range of eight to 10 ppm. Bowmore only uses first fill bourbon casks to age its whiskey; 71 percent are standard American barrels and 15 percent are rebuilt hogsheads. About 14 percent of the casks are first fill sherry butts or puncheons. In recent years, the distillery has experimented with a wide range of cask finishing options.

The distillery has six warehouses, five of which are the standard “dunnage” type and one which is racked. Most of its warehouse capacity is on the mainland. The legendary No. 1 warehouse, or vault, actually extends below the sea level of Loch Indaal during very high tides. This warehouse is cold and particularly humid and is where the distillery ages its most prized whiskies. Because of this unique environment, evaporation is only about one percent a year. The No. 1 vault is the oldest maturation facility in Scotland and the only part of the distillery that dates to the original 1779 structure.

Among Bowmore’s most unusual expressions was the whisky finished in Japanese oak. This whisky was bottled as Mizunara Cask Finish. It carried no age statement and was bottled at an ABV of 53.9 percent. The whisky was aged in ex-bourbon and sherry barrels and was then finished for three years in casks of Japanese Mizunara oak. Only 2,000 bottles were produced and only 500 bottles made it to North America.

Mizunara oak, typically called Japanese oak, has been used for aging Japanese whiskies since about 1930. The “oak” is actually two different species; Quercus mongolica or Mongolian oak and Quercus crispula or Japanese oak. Both types of wood are utilized in barrel making. Mongolian oak is quite rare and slow growing. It takes about 300 years before a tree can be used to fashion barrels compared to 100 years for the American white oak. Mizunara oak wood tends to be soft and porous, barrels made from it are prone to leaking and easily damaged.

The wood typically imparts flavors of sandalwood and incense to maturing whisky. Compared to American and European oak species, Japanese oak is particularly high in trans-oak lactones and vanillins. These lactones when dissolved in alcohol can impart very strong coconut aromas as well as exotic spices and aromatic and resinous-like notes. The Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish is quite rare, although it still shows up at auctions and can sometimes be found at the odd liquor store. It typically retails for around $1,100 a bottle. On a recent visit, I noticed that he distillery still has some unbottled Mizunara casks in the No. 1 warehouse. So, expect another release of Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish in the future. 

The 12 YO, 15 YO Darkest, Sherry Cask Finish and the 18 YO are the three core expressions that consumers are most familiar with.

Bowmore 12 YO, 40% ABV, 750 ml

The Bowmore 12 YO has a dark amber color. A bit dark for a 12 YO suggesting that maybe there is a hint of caramel coloring. On the nose, there are the requisite light notes of peat and smoke that you expect from Bowmore, along with the signature marine element of iodine and a savory, marine air character. There are distinctive fruit notes, some candied citrus zest, cooked apple, stone fruit (peach), tropical fruit (pineapple, dried mango and a bit of melon) nicely integrated with sweet honey notes and smoke and some dried heather and potpourri floral elements in the background.

On the palate, there is a pervasive cold smoke in the background, like a smoldering campfire, and the light savory, saline element you would find in an old “dirty martini” glass. There is a distinctive sweet honey note framed by citrus zest, stone fruit and tropical fruit. In the mouth, there is a noticeable oily viscous weight. With a little water, more pronounced floral elements of dried heather and flowers emerge and the wood spice notes, especially the vanilla, become more pronounced. 

The finish is medium length, combining a low key but pervasive smokiness with sweet honey and fruit notes. There is a bit of sweet pepperiness on the finish with hints of ash and charred wood. 

This is a good whisky and should be a staple of every Scotch whisky collection. It has the unmistakable sweet and smoky character that is becoming increasingly characteristic of Islay, but without the aggressive smoke, tar or medicinal qualities that typify Bowmore’s Kildalton neighbors to the south. Overall, this is a more refined dram, subtle and more nuanced with artfully balances the smoke, char, marine and medicinal qualities of Islay whisky with sweet ripe and dried fruit.

Rating: Appearance 7/10, Nose 25/30, Palate 26/30, Finish 26/30. Overall Score: 84/100 

Bowmore Darkest, Sherry Cask Finished, 15 YO, 43% ABV, 750 ml

The Bowmore Darkest has a rich, dark amber color with a reddish orange hue. Some of that color, however, is likely the result of the addition of caramel coloring prior to bottling. On the nose, when opening a new bottle, there is that distinctive cooked fruit/Christmas cake aroma that is typically associated with sherry cask finishing. The Bowmore Darkest spends 12 years in ex-bourbon barrels followed by three years in Oloroso sherry casks. Bowmore doesn’t disclose whether the sherry casks are first fill or older. Most likely, they consist primarily of second fill and possibly a few third fill sherry casks.

The Christmas cake notes are followed by aromas of smoke, peat, cedar and tar and the iodine/phenolic notes that are typical of Islay whiskies. There are dried stone fruits, hints of raisin, and waxy notes of linseed oil and furniture wax as well as vanilla, cooked oatmeal and tropical spices. There is also a creamy butterscotch note that gets progressively more distinct on the nose as the whisky opens up, especially with the addition of a little water.

This whisky is better on the nose than the palate. On the palette, there is smoke and tar backed by a candied sweetness and golden raisin notes. The Bowmore Darkest has an oily, creamy, viscous texture and the solid mouth weight that is typical of over standard proof, sherried whiskies. There is a long succession of sweet, dried fruit notes featuring apricot, peach and golden raisin, followed by creamy butterscotch in addition to a distinctive piquant peppery note with just a hint of vermouth-like herbal bitterness.

The finish is medium length and is dominated by the smoky, medicinal character typical of Islay whiskies. The sherry finish adds sweetness, dried fruit notes, and additional weight and texture to the finish. On the whole, however, the sherry notes are overshadowed by the smoke and tar of the Bowmore, leaving the whisky feeling a bit unbalanced. Oloroso sherry is subtle, and may just not have the heft to stand up to Islay’s brawny offerings. The use of more first fill Oloroso casks would probably have resulted in a more balanced, harmonious expression. The Lagavulin Distillers Edition, which has the same idea but uses the significantly sweeter PX sherry cask, does a better job of balancing the smoky and sweet aspects of sherry finished Islay whisky. 

This is a good whisky. At an average price of $78 per bottle, however, it’s a trifle expensive for what it offers. The Lagavulin Distillers Edition, though costlier, offers significantly better quality, and the Talisker Distiller’s Edition offers a comparable whisky for a third lower price.

Rating: Appearance 7/10, Nose 26/30, Palate 24/30, Finish 23/30. Overall score: 80/100

Bowmore 18 YO, 43% ABV, 750 ml 

The Bowmore 18 YO was released in 2007, as a replacement for the discontinued 17 YO expression. The appearance is a dark amber color, much darker than the 12 YO expression and a little lighter, with a bit of the orange-red hue, than the Bowmore darkest. It’s likely that there is some caramel coloring used here also. Unlike the Bowmore darkest, which had 12 years in ex-bourbon and then three years of Oloroso sherry cask finish, the 18 YO consists of a blend of exclusively bourbon matured and Oloroso sherry matured whiskies. The proportions of the blend are not disclosed. 

On the nose, there is the distinctive cooked and dried fruit aromas associated with sherry cask influence. The candied citrus notes are more apparent than in the 12 YO, suggesting a larger proportion of first fill sherry casks. There are prunes, raisins and a bit of dried stone fruit. Bowmore’s signature background smoke is noticeable throughout as are the iodine, savory, and saline notes that are typical of the whiskies matured on Islay. With time and a little water, more expressive notes of caramel and milk chocolate emerge. 

On the palate, there is that sweet, oily, viscous mouth weight that we find in sherry matured whiskies and that tends to be a characteristic of Bowmore. There are the requisite Oloroso inspired Christmas fruit cake notes of prune, raisins, candied citrus zest, as well as some candied cherry, followed by wood spice notes of vanilla and a little cinnamon. These flavors are more intense, likely because the Oloroso sherry casks were first fill and are better balanced with the smoke and char as a result. The saline marine elements of iodine and savory notes, a Bowmore trait, are equally visible, but also better integrated with the sweet fruit elements. 

The finish is long and nuanced, with pronounced chocolate and caramel undertones that marry well with the dried fruit notes and the smoke and char background elements. There is a distinctive peppery sweetness on the finish that persists on the palate. 

This is an excellent whisky. It has many similarities with both the 12 YO and Bowmore Darkest but it is far more nuanced and refined and the aromas and flavors are more intense. The combination of additional aging, and the greater use of first fill Oloroso sherry casks has produced a far more refined, enjoyable dram. 

Rating: Appearance 8/10, Nose 27/30, Palate 27/30, Finish 28/30. Overall score: 90/100

Bowmore, is an Islay whisky institution with a range of superlative whiskies and a finely-honed marketing sense of how the Scotch whisky industry is evolving in the 21st century. An integral part of any whisky collection, their bottlings, especially their rarer ones, are truly one of a kind.

By Joseph V. Micallef

Joseph V. Micallef is a judge and commentator on food, wines, spirits and travel. He is also a historian, best-selling author, keynote speaker and syndicated columnist As a journalist and former war correspondent he has written on an eclectic mix of topics from wines, spirits and travel, to military history and world affairs. For 30+ years he was the CEO and Senior Producer of a media company. 

Joe has also been a judge for a variety of international wines and spirits competitions, including the International Wines and Spirits Competition, World Drinks Awards, World Whisky Awards, San Francisco International Wine Competition, American Distilling Institute Craft Spirits Awards, and the Irish Whiskey Awards. Along with judging, he spends his spare time making wine in Oregon.

He holds the Diploma in Wines and Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (London). He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Council of Whiskey Masters. The Advisory Board’s two dozen members are widely considered the leading experts on whisky in the world.

He has spoken at a variety of professional venues, including the Institute of Strategic Studies (London), the NATO Defense College (Rome), the World Future Society and a large number of universities, military and other organizations on a variety of topics dealing with military and current affairs. He has also appeared as a commentator on a variety of cable news networks.

His recent books include, Scotch Whisky: It’s History, Production and Appreciation, Understanding World War I: A Concise History (part of a 12 episode made for television documentary), and Islamic State: Its History, Ideology and Challenge. Additional books on Tequila and on Italian Wines are forthcoming.

He has written, directed, and produced dozens of documentaries on military history and current affairs.

Joe is also an opinion columnist for The Epoch Times where he writes about national security and international affairs, and a contributor to Forbes where he writes about wines, spirits and travel to the dusty corners of the world. In addition to writing, he is also the International Editor for the Irish Whiskey Magazine.

He has spent more than 20 years judging wines and spirits and lecturing and writing about them, and looks forward to many more. Grab a drink with him at the bar if you have the chance – suffice to say, he's not your average Joe.