Thomas Ewer’s passion for single malt Scotch whisky, his personal contacts at the distilleries and the joy of discovering new whiskies were the driving forces behind the creation of Malts of Scotland. After years of searching for the best and rarest casks to select and buy, it was decided in 2009 to bottle the first release of 11 special single cask Scotch whiskies under the name of Malts of Scotland. The motto of Malts of Scotland is special bottlings for special moments. All the details are significant: from the careful selection of the casks to the design and appearance of the packaging and the company. In the warehouses of Malts of Scotland there are about 400 barrels of whisky aging from more than 60 Scottish distilleries. This wide range ensures that we will certainly be spoiled with more special bottlings in the future. The whiskies of Malts of Scotland are not colored, are un-chillfiltered and most are bottled at cask strength. What you get is the purest taste of uisge beatha.
The Bowmore distillery is one of the oldest in Scotland, founded in 1779, and built in the famous village of the same name on the island of Islay, on the coast of Loch Indaal. Bowmore is Gaelic for ‘Grand Reef’. She takes her water from the Laggan River and is one of the few distilleries with its own floor maltings. Bowmore is very proud of that tradition. The current owner is Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd, which itself is part of the Japanese group Suntory (of Yamazaki fame), who also owns Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch. Bowmore has a range of various whiskies of all ages and finishes. The whisky, although from the Queen of the Hebrides, is milder than its cousins, such as Ardbeg or Lagavulin. The whisky matures in the reknowned Bowmore Vaults, moist warehouse cellars below sea level, where it takes on its definitive character.
Bowmore 1989/2011 (51.2%, Malts of Scotland, Bourbon Hogshead #MoS11004, 238 Bts.)