Bowmore Distillery

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General
Pronunciation bow’more Pronunciation
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
E-mail 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)



Sources used