You probably heard the news: Beam Suntory has launched a brand new travel retail range last month, inspired by Bowmore distillery’s legendary No.1 Vaults, the world’s oldest Scotch whisky maturation warehouse. The new range will be available exclusively in global travel retail and most importantly, marks a return to age statements for the first time in five years!

Michael Cockram, Global Marketing Director, Travel Retail at Beam Suntory, comments: “We continue to innovate and find new ways to delight our consumers in travel retail via exceptional product quality and investment in our liquids. We are pleased to present this new Bowmore range, exclusively to travel retail. Matured in the finest oak casks, these age statement whiskies have been selected for their unique character, allowing us to bring Bowmore’s legendary No.1 Vaults to life for the discerning traveller around the world”.

The new range comprises 3 expressions: Bowmore 10 (Dark & Intense), Bowmore 15 (Golden & Elegant) & Bowmore 18 (Deep & Complex).

I had the chance to receive a bottle of the 15-year-old to try, so let’s have a closer look at this new baby!

This expression is matured in 1st-fill Bourbon casks and bottled at 43% ABV

Nose: fresh, elegant and quite deep at the same time with decilious citrusy notes, iodine aromas of salted caramel and yummy vegetal notes. There’s also, weirdly, some aromas of dried fruits/chocolate/cake that you would traditionally link to a sherry cask maturation and if you haven’t told me it was a 1st-fill bourbon cask, I may have thought we were talking about refill sherry finish… The magic of whisky! The Bowmore signature light smokiness is there as well, leading the way to underlying exotic fruits chutney & apricot marmalade… YUM!

Palate: Rich and nicely balanced with golden syrup, herbal honey, wood spices, citrus, roasted walnuts coming through. The salty profile of this dram very much shows up in the palate, almost feeling like my dram has been reduced with sea water, which is fine by me, it’s got this “holiday vibe” and I think that goes pretty well with the idea of a “travel” retail ;).

Of course there are some earthy Bowmore notes appearing as well, but also a kind of smoky/fruity note, like pineapple brochettes over a bomfire.

Finish: medium with citrus, spices & sea salt

Pssst! Find the Recipe Here!