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Bowmore 15 years Mariner

peaty
4.1
(1)€349Scotland, Islay, Single Malt

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Facts

Seagulls and the distillery were screen printed straight onto the glass of this bottle. That design dates the bottle to an older era at Bowmore. Inside is a restrained Islay malt rather than a peat monster. Smoke and a medicinal note lead, with salt sitting underneath. A floral lift keeps it from turning heavy. The finish leans on oak and stays dry. Fifteen years in wood have rounded the edges without dulling them. Bottles like this no longer leave the distillery, which is part of the appeal.

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About the distillery

Distillery

Bowmore

Bowmore is a Scotch whisky distillery located in the town of Bowmore on the Scottish island of Islay. It is one of the oldest distilleries on the island, having been established in 1779 by local merchant David Simson. Bowmore is known for producing a range of peated and unpeated single malt whiskies. The distillery sources its water from the nearby Laggan River, which is said to contribute to the unique character of its whiskies. The barley used in production is malted on site using traditional floor malting techniques. The distillery has its own cooperage, where skilled craftsmen create and repair casks used for maturing the whisky.

4Average rating

147Whiskies on Distilld

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Islay

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About the Bowmore 15 years Mariner

Bowmore 15 years Mariner is an Islay single malt from the Bowmore distillery. It carries fifteen years of age and a bottling strength of 43%. The name comes from an older era of labels, when the distillery gave its bottles nautical titles. Nothing in the name refers to a cask or a finish. Anyone holding a bottle today is holding pre 2007 stock. The dram inside is peaty in the classic Islay manner. Bowmore has run on Islay since 1779 and still uses its own floor maltings. Those maltings cover about 40% of the malt the distillery needs. The rest comes in from outside, which is normal now. This expression joined the core range in the early 1990s. It stayed until 2007, then moved to travel retail. On airport shelves it sat beside a 17 year old and a cask strength release. All three were discontinued in 2014. Smoke arrives first, medicinal and salty in the way Islay malts often are. Flowers sit behind it, faint but easy to find. The palate is smokier still, with ash and peat smoke over that same salt line. A floral thread runs through the middle and keeps things light. Wood and oak close it out, dry rather than sweet. Fifteen years in cask show up as balance, not weight. Against the rest of the range, Bowmore 15 years Mariner reads as a period piece. The strength is a steady 43%, which puts it below the cask strength Islay releases. Peat and salt lead here, and the oak stays in support. Age does the work instead of high strength. That calmer style is what people look for when they track down old Bowmore. Supply only shrinks from here.