Bowmore 1964 Black Bowmore Final Edition Bottled 1995

Starting Reserve $17000

One of the most sought after expressions of Islay whisky in the world, this 1964 distilled whisky is the Black Bowmore final edition bottled in 1995. At roughly 31 years of age, this spectacular bottling is from one of the most notorious vintages in Scotch whisky history, with many 1964 Bowmores arguably being the finest Islay whisky ever bottled. Matured in Oloroso Sherry Butts, these exceptional quality casks are what give the whisky its distinct deep red/black colour. Bottled at an excellent 49% and presented in a wooden box, this expression routinely scores perfect ratings with critics. Of note is Australia's connection to the Black Bowmore, with the Gillies club bottling a 1964, 17 year old expression in 1981 and dubbing it the 'Black Bowmore'. After bottling a second cask in 1985, the name stuck. Brian Morrison, a family member and shareholder in Morrison Bowmore distillers was a member of the Gillies club as he had spent a short period of time in Australia. When the first black bowmore was bottled in 1993, Brian remembered the name the Gillies had dubbed their cask and chose to use the name, thus the black Bowmore was born.

This bottling was acquired in 1995 from a Hong Kong retailer shortly after the release of the bottle and has been stored by the seller ever since. Please note that the fill level on this bottle is an average for the Bowmore series, with pre 2007 Bowmore typically only filling their bottles to just above the shoulder.

Bowmore

One of Islay’s most beloved distilleries, Bowmore sits in the heart of the town with the same name. A busy location by comparison to the other Islay distilleries, Bowmore currently operates at maximum capacity and runs 7 days a week. William Grigor & Sons sold Bowmore in 1963 to Stanley Morrison, who would then found the Morrison Bowmore Distillers company. After a number of years of successful distillation, the Japanese company Suntory would purchase a 35% stake in Morrison Bowmore in 1989. This era is of note as in 1981 a very special bottling was done exclusively for the Gillies club in Australia. A 1964 distilled expression of Bowmore from a sherry butt so incredibly dark that the club dubbed it the “Black Bowmore”. A second 1964 was bottled four years later, just as dark and just as impressive. It wasn’t until 1993 that Bowmore would themselves release the first edition of their own Black Bowmore, a bottling so well rated and so legendary that the whisky has become the stuff of legends.

1994 would see Suntory purchase the remaining stock of Morrison Bowmore Distillers and take full control of the company. From there the new owners would begin bottling a wide range of releases, with a strong focus on vintage dates expressions. As noted prior, Bowmore utilises a large amount of sherry matured spirit as well as maturation in ex-bourbon casks. However it is these large sherry butt sourced bottlings that rocketed the brand to success, with the last 30 years seeing the remaining Black Bowmores bottled and completed. The brand saw a redesign in 2007, slimming down their bottle design and launching a number of well aged expressions in limited edition packaging.