There are rare whiskies, and then there are those from another era.
Generational whisky comes with a generational reputation, and the whisky made on Islay at the Bowmore Distillery in the 1960s is such stuff.
The Bowmore 1965 was created in the middle of the distillery’s most defining decade. The same era that gifted the world the legendary Black Bowmore, this 52-year-old single malt has been shaped by the Atlantic air that whips into the distillery’s seafront storehouses, the oldest Scotch whisky warehouses in the world, and Oloroso sherry oak, which has left a sweet, smoky, rich expression in its wake.
Bowmore has always been adept at crafting spirits that hum with history. With the unveiling of their Rarity Defined program, it has taken that idea and shaped it into something far grander: not just a bottle, but a journey worthy of the liquid inside.
The offering is more than just a bottle of whisky. But what a bottle it is. This 1965 vintage is housed in a hand-blown decanter finished with sterling silver and looks like something rescued from the private study of a Victorian explorer.
Yet the focus here is on much more than this bottle and on one of the stories of the distillery itself. Bowmore has constructed its own pilgrimage of sorts: a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two, which begins at Glasgow’s five-star Mar Hall Hotel, with a private dinner hosted by a member of the Bowmore whisky-making team.
From there, the journey arcs westward to Islay, the wind-kissed island that sits on the outer edge of Scotland. Here, guests are treated to seafood pulled from the same waters that lap against the warehouses, an overnight stay in the Bowmore Distillery Cottages, and a private distillery tour. A fireside dinner at the Bridgend Hotel follows, complete with rare and distillery-exclusive Bowmore pours. And at the end of it all, like a benediction: your own bottle of the rare Bowmore 1965.
Unveiling this package over lunch in a London hotel, I was one of just four guests to sample a selection of whiskies from Bowmore with their brand ambassador, Teddy Joseph.
The 1965, bottled at 42% ABV and at 52 years of age, was poured early to allow it to develop, and served first ahead of whiskies aged for over two decades, not five. The aromas gave tropical tinned fruits, juicy fruit chewing gum, soft smoke, new leather, oud, sandalwood and cherries. Some lavender and white musk rounded off the nose.
The palate delivered peaches and cream, clear apple juice, griddled banana, orange peel, milk chocolate and honeycomb, underpinned by vanilla pipe tobacco and earthy licorice. The finish delivered Parma ham, sea salt and star anise. A nutty, lingering smoke completed this rare Scotch.
The Bowmore 1965 experience is available from £28,050.00 ($37,500), bowmore.com
