Bowmore® Unveils 36-Year-Old Dragon Edition, The First Release In A New Chinese Exclusive Series

16 August 2019

Bowmore® Unveils 36-Year-Old Dragon Edition, The First Release In A New Chinese Exclusive Series

August 2019 - Bowmore® Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky has announced the release of Bowmore® 36-Year-Old Dragon Edition, a new expression from the world’s oldest Scotch maturation warehouse, the famous No.1 Vaults.

Featuring the mythical Chinese dragon, the 36-year-old whisky pays homage to the iconic Bowmore 30-Year-Old Sea Dragon, which celebrated a famous myth of Islay. Renewing this tradition, the new expression celebrates the mythical creatures that live on in Chinese culture today.

The first of a series of four, the 36-Year-Old liquid has been specially selected from the same parcel of sherry casks used to create the iconic Bowmore 30-Year-Old Sea Dragon, exclusively released to Asia in 2012. Born and shaped by time, the mythical dragon featured on the bottling ensures balance in everything – just like Bowmore’s master distiller. With only 888 bottles available, matched with the pedigree of the iconic 30-Year-Old Sea Dragon, this incredible expression will be highly prized and sought after from whisky enthusiasts across China.

The 36-Year-Old Dragon Edition is an exquisite example of Bowmore’s rich fruit and smoke house style. With a rich dark natural colour, the whisky offers aromas of tropical fruit, toffee apple and caramelised orange with a hint of pine needle scent. It finishes with a floral and peppery tinge, balanced by oak spices and a touch of iodine. This carefully crafted single malt is best savoured neat or over ice.

David Turner, Bowmore® Distillery Manager, comments: “This new expression is a homage to the 30-Year-Old Sea Dragon that’s been much loved and collected by Bowmore fans across China. Born from an island that is rich with heritage and legends, Bowmore is celebrating the legendary creatures of Chinese mythology that are the protectors of people – just as Bowmore has protected and matured this precious liquid for 36 years. We’ve taken this amazing legacy and renewed it for the next generation of whisky drinkers”.

John Lomas, Prestige Director Beam Suntory, stated: “Bowmore is an incredible single malt with an iconic legacy. Today it continues to create some of the finest whisky in the world. With this new release of Bowmore 36-Year-Old Dragon edition, we are renewing this story for the next generation. We believe the time we’ve invested in perfecting our craftmanship over the last 50 years is shown in the quality of our whisky producing, and we’re excited to share this.”

Bowmore® 36-Year-Old Dragon Edition will be exclusively available at Whisky L and through select outlets from August at $2000.

Tasting notes:

Colour: (natural) Burnt Umber
Nose: Scented wood, cedar, beeswax, tropical fruit, toffee apple, old leather, coconuts, rich Demerara sugar, cinnamon, a touch of aniseed, liquorice, caramelised orange peels and ginger.
Palate: Dried fruits, sultanas, Corinth raisins, roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate.
Finish: Floral, peppery with oak spices and iodine.
Bottled at natural colour and strength

ABOUT BOWMORE®

Founded in 1779, Bowmore® is the oldest distillery on Islay, one of the Scottish isles which make up the region known as the 'Islands' in the lexicon of Whisky. The other regions are the Highlands, Speyside and the Lowlands. Islay malts are famous for their characteristic smokiness and Bowmore® is no exception; the malt is carefully smoked in a peat-fired kiln, using skills honed over two centuries to craft a perfectly balanced Single Malt.

Time is savoured at Bowmore® and the distillery’s adherence to traditional production methods helps to shape the character of its Single Malts. Today, it prides itself as one of the rare distilleries which still produces its own floor malted barley, hand-turned by a traditional wooden malt shovel and hand drawn machinery. Water for the whiskies is specially drawn from the Laggan River, with its rich peaty overtones – the same Islay peat that fires the malt-drying kiln.

Bowmore® Distillery's close proximity to the sea is also vital in determining the final character of its spirit. The legendary Bowmore® No. 1 Vaults is where most of the whiskies spend their long lives resting quietly in the cool, dark, damp cellars below sea level, oblivious to the waves thrashing the vault's sea-facing wall.

They mature in oak casks, previously used for bourbon, sherry or claret, gradually developing rich and mellow flavours until the expertise of our whisky makers deems them ready for bottling. It is this combination of peat, barley, sea breeze, water, wood, people and tradition that together create the perfectly balanced warm and smoky character of Bowmore® Single Malt Scotch Whiskies. Through peerless maturation expertise and sense of timing, Bowmore® is “Time, Savoured®” – a rich reward for those that appreciate the value of time and an exquisite whisky coveted the world over.

Awards:

ISC 2018 | Gold for 15 Year Old (GTR)
ISC 2018 | Gold for 18 Year Old
IWSC 2018 | Gold for 15 Year Old
IWSC 2018 | Gold for 18 Year Old
San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2018 | Gold for 12 Year Old
San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2018 | Super Gold for 18 Year Old
San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2018 | Super Gold for 15 Year Old Darkest
ISC 2017 | Gold for 12 Year Old
ISC 2017 | Gold for 18 Year Old (GTR)
San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2017 | Gold for 18 Year Old
International Spirits Challenge 2017 | Gold for 12 Year Old
International Spirits Challenge 2017 | Gold for 18 Year Old (GTR)

Bowmore® supports https://www.drinkaware.co.uk

About Beam Suntory

As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires human connections. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including the iconic Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon brands, Suntory whisky Kakubin and Courvoisier cognac, as well as world renowned premium brands including Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s and Legent bourbon; Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki and Toki Japanese whisky; Teacher’s, Laphroaig and Bowmore Scotch whisky; Canadian Club whisky; Hornitos and Sauza tequila; EFFEN, Haku and Pinnacle vodka; Sipsmith and Roku gin; and Midori liqueur.

Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and vision of Growing for Good. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit https://www.beamsuntory.com and https://www.drinksmart.com.