About Bowmore The Darkest 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Situated along the shores of Long Indaal, Bowmore Distillery was founded in 1779 by John Simpson. The distillery is the oldest distillery on the island of Islay and the second oldest in Scotland. Its unique location — Long Indaal suffers from steady gusts of wind and strong eddies that make its waters especially hazardous — plays an integral part in defining the lush, rich character of the single malt whisky it produces.

Bowmore Single Malt Scotch Whisky is made from barley that has been expertly cultivated in the rolling hills of Scotland. Once the barley has been harvested, it is malted and peated at the distillery — Bowmore remains one of the few Scottish distilleries that continues to hand-turn, malt, and peat its own barley. Unlike some other distilleries on Islay, however, the drying process is much shorter at Bowmore — only 15 hours — and utilizes only half as much peat, resulting in a whisky with a robust yet still mild smoky flavor.

After the barley has been malted and peated, it is mashed and fermented with pure water drawn from Laggan River. The water has spent two millennia percolating in the ancient rock formations and peatbogs of Islay, giving Bowmore Whiskey its distinctive, chewy body and subtle mouthfeel. Then, the fermented barley is twice distilled through Bowmore's copper-pot stills before being left to mature in the distillery's seaside, underground maturation vaults.

Following distillation, Bowmore 15 Year Old Darkest Single Malt Scotch Whisky is matured in a combination of casks that were previously used to mature bourbon and casks that were previously used to mature Oloroso Sherry (the final three years of maturation are spent exclusively in sherry casks). As a result, the whisky has an aroma of dark-chocolate, sun-dried mango and papaya and Islay smoke. The aroma gives way to notes of rich toffee, dark fruits, apples and citrus on the palate, that are complemented by a subtle undertone of cedar. The finish is robust and complex, with a touch of sherry.

Bowmore Darkest earned a score of 92 points from Wine Enthusiast and the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2013. In addition, Jim Murray, author of the Whisky Bible, called the whisky "really delightful" and "faultless."

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