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Auction: SFW38 - Spink x Cask 88 Auction
Lot: 197

◇ Bowmore Cask-1996-#163046

Distillery: Bowmore
Region: Islay
Age: 26 years
Distillation Date: 26th March 1996
Cask type: Ex-Bourbon Hogshead
Peated?: Moderately Peated
Re-gauge ABV: 59.0%
Re-gauged Litres of Alcohol (RLA): 79.6 litres
New Bulk Litres: 134.9 litres
Re-gauge Date: 1st June 2022
Bottles: 193
Cask Number: 163046

A Dram of Distinction Distilled During Bowmore's Golden Years

Cask description

The Wood
Ex-sherry casks and Bowmore's spirit go hand in hand, the medium peated spirit pairs beautifully with the soft frutiness expected from this type of cask. Over the years this pairing has yielded some of the most sought after bottles of Scotch whisky in history, such as the Bowmore Black series.

"Ex-sherry casks imbue their own unique character into the spirit, these casks create more dramatic aromas and notes, giving a deep amber colour and flavours of dried fruits."
Bowmore 2021

The Spirit
Tropical fruit is at the heart of the spirit produced at Bowmore with lingering, integrated smoke reminiscent of beach bonfires fueled by damp driftwood. Bowmore still has an operational floor malting, one of only 3 distilleries on the island to keep this tradition and the malted barley is smoked for 18 hours with peat, and 42 hours with warm air, to give it excellent balance.

This cask was filled a short time after Suntory bought Bowmore and during the initial takeover, the new owners slowed down the entire production to get the spirit just right. This period produced some of the most desirable spirit ever produced at Bowmore, and even to this day the distillery is trying to recreate the new-make produced during the 1990s.

The Masters
Jim McEwan began his career in whisky in 1963, as an apprentice cooper at Bowmore distillery and has over 50 years experience in the whisky industry. He was the distillery manager in the spring of 1996 when this cask was filled. The year before McEwan was awarded distiller of the year at the International Wine and Spirits Competition. The vast database of knowledge of whisky production cannot be underestimated when talking about Jim McEwan - he dedicated 38 years of his life to the spirit of Bowmore and has been responsible for bottling some of the oldest whisky to come from Islay.
David Turner is another man who has dedicated most of his life to The Bowmore distillery, starting when he was 16 in June 1990. Last year he celebrated 30 years at the distillery, having taken the reins as master distiller in 2012.
"I think the location sets us apart. We're on Islay, right in the middle of the Island. Islay is well-known for the peated whiskies. The north is very lightly peated, the south is very heavily peated, and we're in between. We sit between on peating level, and geography. We call ourselves the perfectly balanced Islay whisky."
David Turner, Bowmore Master Distiller (2021)

Buyer's note: We cannot offer a photo of this cask due to the regulations on Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations that are imposed in the warehouse.



於波摩黃金歲月蒸餾的非凡佳釀 單桶詳情 木桶 雪利酒桶與波摩美酒相得益彰，酒的中等泥煤味，與雪利酒桶所散發的柔和果味完美搭配。多年來，這種搭配成就了歷史上一些最受追捧的蘇格蘭威士忌，例如黑波摩系列。 「雪利酒桶將其獨特個性注入烈酒中，創造出更帶激情的芳香和風味，深琥珀酒色，帶乾果味。」 波摩 2021 酒液 熱帶水果是波摩出品的核心，煙味悠長不散、渾然一體，讓人想到由潮濕浮木點燃的沙灘篝火。波摩擁有仍可操作的地板發麥設施，是艾雷島上僅存三家保持此傳統的釀酒廠之一；大麥發芽後經泥煤燻製 18 小時，再經暖空氣吹拂 42 小時，以達到極佳平衡。 此單桶在三得利收購波摩後不久裝桶，三得利自入主後，為使出品精益求精，放慢整個生產速度。其間，酒廠生產了不少波摩有史以來最令人回味的威士忌，直到今天，他們仍在努力重現 1990 年代生產的新酒。 大師 吉姆·麥克伊恩於 1963 年進入威士忌行業，首先在波摩酒廠當桶匠學徒，釀酒經驗逾50 年。 1996 年春天當此單桶裝滿時，他是酒廠經理；前一年，他在國際葡萄酒及烈酒比賽中榮獲年度最佳釀酒師。麥克伊恩將 38年時光奉獻給波摩美酒，是威士忌製作之活字典，曾負責為艾雷島上一些最古老威士忌裝瓶。 大衛·特納是另一位將人生大部分時光獻給波摩酒廠的大師，他自1990年6月16歲時加入，於 2012 年接任釀酒大師，並在2020年慶祝在酒廠工作 30 週年。 「我們在艾雷島中央，我認為這個位置讓我們與眾不同。艾雷島以泥煤威士忌聞名，北面的泥煤很輕，南邊的泥煤很重，我們介於兩者之間。我們的泥煤水平和地理位置都恰到好處，是平衡度完美的艾雷威士忌。」 大衛·特納，波摩釀酒大師（2021） 買家須知：由於《危險品與爆炸環境條例》對酒倉之規定，我們無法提供此單桶之照片。

Estimate
HK$1,500,000 to HK$1,900,000

Starting price
HK$1425000

Sale SFW38 Notices
Please note that this Bowmore cask is maturing in Ex-Sherry cask.