Scotland, Isle of Islay. Distillery operational. Owner: Beam - Suntory

Located on the Isle of Islay, in the heart of the village of the same name, in 1963 Bowmore became, under the aegis of Stanley P. Morrison (owner of the distillery until it was bought by the Japanese company Suntory in 1994), one of the greatest commercial successes in the Scotch whisky industry. Vault #1, responsible for some of its greatest releases, including Bowmore 30 Year Old 1963 and Bowmore Bicentenary, played an important role in forging its international reputation. Built below sea level against a natural dyke, its walls and beaten earth floors are constantly steeped in sea spray. Rooted in tradition, Bowmore is one of the last remaining distilleries to malt part of its own barley on-site. Whether matured in bourbon casks (White Bowmore 1964) or sherry casks (Black Bowmore 1964), its spirit, characterized by notes of liquorice, peat and eucalyptus, never fails to reveal the trademark hint of exotic fruit for which the distillery is known.

A Bowmore 12 year old single cask (#800194) distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2010 by Signatory Vintage. Signatory Vintage was founded in 1988 by Andrew Symington, who previously worked at Prestonfield House, Edinburgh, where he would select casks specially for the hotel. In 2002, he bought the Edradour distillery in Pitlochry, in the Highlands of Scotland and moved Signatory Vintage vintage to the site, including the warehouses opposite the distillery. This whisky was bottled for the Un-Chillfiltered Collection launched in 2000, which features whiskies bottled at 46%, without chillfiltration, as the name implies. A limited edition of 748 bottles for La Maison du Whisky, a whisky and fine spirits importer and distributor founded by Georges Bénitah in 1956.