Bowmore Distillery Tour Review[photos]Islay-Scotland
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We visited Bowmore Distillery, in the town of Bowmore, one of the central places on Islay.
It’s Islay’s oldest distillery, and being a historic distillery, it was a tour with a real sense of cool.
Getting to see the floor malting was really great too.
Here’s a look at the distillery visit.
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目次
Features of the Distillery
It’s a distillery standing by the small harbor in the town of Bowmore, at the center of Islay.
Founded by David Simpson in 1779, it’s the oldest on Islay.
It’s one of the few distilleries that still does floor malting today, and drying with peat takes a total of 55 hours.
The mashing water comes from the River Laggan, Islay’s largest river; the mash uses 2.5 tons of house-made malt mixed with 5.5 tons of malt bought from maltsters.
The malt used to be made at Port Ellen on Islay, and now it uses Simpsons on the mainland.
Annual production capacity is 2 million liters a year, with nearly 90% for its own use.
Owned by Beam Suntory, it’s also called a “single malt of the sea.”
Location/ Access
You can walk there from the town of Bowmore, the central place on Islay.
Get off at the bus stop on the main street where there’s a Co-op, and it’s a 1–2 minute walk from there.
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The Distillery’s Exterior
You can see the building from the gate.
Right as you enter, the visitor center is on the right.
Walking to the right, you can see the BOWMORE lettering on the wall, but it’s too close to photograph easily.
Going out to the sea from the main street and shooting from a distance gets the nicest photo.
The Tour We Joined
We joined the Bowmore Signature Tour and Tasting, £22 per person (about 4,200 yen).
It’s a tour that combines a tour walkthrough with a tasting.
We could see the floor malting. In a wonderful touch, they even let us try the work ourselves.
You really understand how heavy and hard this work is.
This is the usual mill again.
Copper mash tun
We experienced the aroma of fermentation too.
The stills are the straight type.
The warehouse was dunnage style.
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Shop and Bar
The shop’s atmosphere was really cool too!
On the way to the bar space, historic whiskies were lined up, and afterward the guide explained them to us.
Summary
Bowmore, one of Islay’s historic distilleries, is one I’d always recommend if you go to Islay, ease of access included.
Please do experience it.