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Bowmore Distillery | |
General |
Pronunciation | bow’more |
Translation | Big House |
Region | Islay |
Distiller | Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd. |
Owner | Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd. (Suntory Ltd.) |
Address | Bowmore Isle of Islay Argyll PA34 7JS Scotland |
Telephone | +44 (0)1496 - 81 04 41 +44 (0)1496 - 81 07 57 (Fax) |
LatLong | 55° 45’ 25.2” N 06° 17’ 20.4” W |
Altitude | 5 m |
Grid Reference | NR310598 |
Website | www.bowmore.com www.bowmorescotch.com www.morrisonbowmore.co.uk www.morrisonbowmoredistilleryshop.com |
info@morrisonbowmore.co.uk | |
Open to public | January - Easter : mo - fr 09:00 - 17:00 (tours at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 15:00), sa 09:00 - 12:00 (tour at 10:00) Easter - June : mo - sa 09:00 - 17:00 (tours at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 15:00) July - Mid September : mo - su 09:00 - 17:00 (tours at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 15:00) Mid September - December : mo - fr 09:00 - 17:00 (tours at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 15:00), sa 09:00 - 12:00 (tour at 10:00) Admission charged, no charge for under 18sSource : Islay & Jura Distillery Tour Times 2008 leaflet |
Remarks | Own Floor Maltings The waste heat from the distilling process is used to heat the water of the MacTaggart Leisure Centre swimming pool located in an old warehouse near the entrance of the distillery |
History |
1779 |
Said to have been founded by John Simpson, a local merchant. It was one of the first legal distilleries and owner operated which was unusual, since most proprietors on Islay leased out their distilleries |
1816-18 |
John Simpson (also Simson) |
1825-26 |
John Johnston |
1826-37 |
John Simpson until at least 1837 |
.... |
Taken over by James Mutter and his family. James was a farmer and a distiller, but also Ottoman, Portuguese, and Brazilian vice-consul in Glasgow. He expanded the Distillery considerably and used his own steamship to bring in Barley and Coal and ship whisky to Glasgow |
1851 |
Operating |
1852 |
William & James Mutter |
early 1890s |
Distillery sold by the Mutter family and became Bowmore Distillery Co. |
1922 |
Bowmore Distillery Co. put up for sale |
1925 |
Purchased by Sherriff’s Bowmore Distillery Ltd. |
WWII |
Distillery used as a coastal command base by the Air Ministry |
1950 |
Sherriff’s Bowmore Distillery Ltd. acquired by William Grigor & Son Ltd., Inverness |
1963 |
Acquired by Stanley P. Morrison. He rebuilt and renovated many of the buildings. Stills became steamheated |
1994 |
Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd. 100% owned by Suntory Ltd. |
Technical Specifications |
General | Water Source | River Laggan |
Annual Output | 1,700,000 litres of alcohol (2005) | |
Finished Spirit (phenols) | average 8 - 10 ppm | |
Blending Roles | Black Bottle, Rob Roy, Islay Hallmark |
|
Malt | Malt Source | around 40% own malt (1,700 tonnes in 2003), with b |
Malt Type | Optic | |
Malt Specification (phenols) | average 25 ppm | |
Own Malting Floor | yes | |
Malt Storage | 180 tonnes | |
Mill | Porteus, installed 1960s | |
Grist Storage | 8 tonnes | |
Mashing | Mash Tun | 1 stainless steel, semi-Lauter |
Mash Size | 8 tonnes | |
First Water | 27,000 litres at 84°C | |
Second Water | 13,000 litres at 90°C | |
Third Water | 27,000 litres at 100°C | |
Fourth Water | n/a | |
Fermentation | Washbacks | 6 made of Oregon Pine |
Washback Charge | 40,000 litres | |
Yeast | Mauri and Quest cultured yeast (75 / 25) | |
Amount of Yeast | 100kg per Washback | |
Length of Fermentation | 48 hours (shorts, week) 62 hours (longs, week |
|
Initial Fermentation Temp. | 19°C | |
Strength of Wash | 7% abv | |
Distillation | Wash Stills | 2, onion shaped, 30,940 litres each |
Wash Still Built | not known | |
Wash Still Charge | 20,000 litres (65% of capacity) | |
Heat Source | steam coils and pans | |
Wash Still Height | 20 feet 8 inches (6.3 m) | |
Lyne Arm | straight | |
Low Wines Run | c. 8 hours | |
Low Wines Collection Range | 46% abv - 1% abv | |
Spirit Stills | 2, onion shaped, #1 : 14,750 litres, #2 : 14,637 litres |
|
Spirit Still Built | no.1 : 1986 no.2 : not known |
|
Spirit Still Charge | c. 13,500 litres (92% of capacity) | |
Strength of Spirit Still Charge | c. 27% abv | |
Heat Source | steam coils and pans | |
Spirit Still Height | 19 feet (5.8 m) | |
Lyne Arm | no.1 : rises about 10° no.2 : rises about |
|
Coolers | three internally sited, one externally sited |
|
Foreshot Run | 15 minutes | |
Spirit Run | 2.5 to 3 hours | |
Feints Run | 3.5 to 4 hours | |
Spirit Cut | 74% abv - 61.5% abv | |
Distilling Strength | 68.8% abv average | |
Storage | Storage Strength | 63.5% abv |
Average Spirit Yield | 408 litres of pure alcohol per tonne of malt (2003 | |
Disposal of Pot Ale/Spent Lees | pot ale to Caol Ila, then dispersed in Sound of Is | |
Type of Casks | 71% first-fill American Oak barrels 15% first-fill American Oak remade hogsgeads 14% first-fill sherry butts and pungeons |
|
Warehouses | 1 at distillery (#1, dunnage), 2 outside town on Low Road (#5, dunnage and #6, racked) | |
Vatting and Bottling Location | Springburn (Glasgow) |