Bowmore distillery was founded in 1779 by John P. Simson before ownership passed to the Mutter family, who held it until the distillery closed in 1915 for ten years, before being purchased and passing through various hands during the 20th Century before falling under a subsidiary of the current owner, Bean Suntory. This conglomorate has a vast spirits portfolio that includes, just in Scotland, the Ardmore, Auchentoshan, Bowmore, Glen Garioch, and Laphroaig distilleries, along with producing the McClelland’s single malt range. It has an annual production capacity of two million liters and the waste heat from the distillation process heats a nearby public swimming pool built in a former warehouse. Through a combination of longevity of operations and careful management, Bowmore currently houses the oldest and most diverse set of whiskies on Islay. The Bowmore 12 is the benchmark of the distillery’s core range, and features maturation in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
SnapShot: Whiskyfabric Whirlwind 3
This series of SnapShot posts derives from whisky exchanges with various folks who are part of what is colloquially known as the Whiskyfabric, a term created by Canadian whisky writer Johanne McInnis, otherwise known as the Whisky Lassie, to encompass the online community of whisky writers, creators, reviewers and enthusiasts that exist in the realm of social media. Over the past couple of years, we here at Scotchology have exchanged whiskies via mail with a number of fascinating people across the United States and Canada and finally decided to sit down and taste the bounty in a series of posts based on some loose collective logic. We’ve already done on post focusing on scotch and one on world whiskies. This post focuses on scotches from Islay. Ever wonder what it’d be like to sit down with us in the moment, with all our bias and palate preferences at the ready? Read on to get a close approximation!
Tastings at Ace Spirits
It’s no secret to our close followers and friends that Scotchology has long been a fan of Ace Spirits, a small liquor store on the west side of the Twin Cities. We won’t take the space here to gush about them, suffice it to say they are more than worth a visit if you ever find yourself within the metro area. Not only do the carry the largest whisky selection we’ve seen here in Minnesota, they also use their connections in the industry to have tastings on a fairly regular basis (don’t worry, they also have other spirits, a few wines, and a respectable craft beer pantheon). We had the good fortune to attend two tastings within the same fortnight there, both different and unique.