Bowmore : 18 Year Old

Tasting characteristics and serving suggestions for Bowmore 18 Years Old

Tasting

Appearance
Bowmore 18 Years Old reveals a magnificent soft mahogany hue with copper highlights, a testament to its long maturation in carefully selected oak casks.

Nose
The bouquet is complex and captivating, harmoniously marrying creamy caramel and ripe nectarines. Salted butter caramel mingles with menthol notes, while fragrant peat smoke brings that distinctive Islay signature, creating a perfect harmony between fresh fruitiness and peaty depth.

Palate
The opening reveals a floral, perfumed confectionery character of remarkable richness. Fennel seeds and licorice interplay with dark chocolate and honeycomb. Maple syrup adds silky sweetness while juicy oranges brighten the palate. The balance between blood orange, maple, and glowing wood embers is particularly successful, creating a texture that is both generous and elegant. The finish is warm, expressive, and deeply complex. A gentle smoke evoking a fire freshly rekindled on a bright morning lingers long, leaving a harmonious and memorable impression.

Pairings and tasting occasions

This outstanding single malt is best enjoyed as a digestif, served in a tulip-shaped glass at room temperature to reveal its full aromatic complexity. It pairs beautifully with a dark chocolate dessert or dried fruits that echo its cocoa notes. For a bolder experience, it can be matched with aged blue cheese, creating a striking contrast. Smoked salmon is also an excellent accompaniment, highlighting its peaty and maritime notes that are so characteristic of Islay.

Mixology

A whisky of this quality and complexity is best savored neat, without embellishment, to fully appreciate its 18 years of maturation and the remarkable balance between peat, fruit, and vanilla sweetness.

An expressive, beautifully aged Scottish single malt whisky

Bowmore, the oldest licensed distillery on Islay

Founded in 1779 by John Simpson, Bowmore remains the oldest licensed distillery on Islay, producing Scotch whisky on the shores of Loch Indaal for over two centuries. Owned by the Beam Suntory group since 1994, this iconic distillery preserves age-old methods with its traditional malting floors and legendary Warehouse No. 1, the only maturation cellar located below sea level. Bowmore stands out for its characteristic aromatic profile combining peat smoke, maritime salinity, and vanilla sweetness, the result of an annual production of two million liters and expertise passed down through generations.

Bowmore 18 Years Old, a maturation masterpiece

Bowmore 18 Years Old represents the distillery’s excellence in the art of extended aging. This single malt whisky benefits from carefully orchestrated double maturation: American oak casks that previously held bourbon bring vanilla notes and sweetness, while European Oloroso sherry oak casks enrich the spirit with fruity and spicy nuances.