Bowmore Just Released One of Its Best Whiskies in Years

If you’re familiar with Bowmore, you know that this Islay distillery has been responsible for some very good whisky over the years, including the ultra-aged, ultra-expensive Black Bowmore and ARC-52. But the distillery has a whole range of much more accessible and relatively affordable whiskies, including some special editions released in collaboration with other brands like Aston Martin. The latest is the Captivo Collection, released in partnership with New York design studio Snarkitecture—and the U.S. release is one of the distillery’s best in some time.

Bowmore has been around in some shape or form for nearly 250 years, making it the oldest licensed distillery on Islay, the region of Scotland known for its smoky, peated whisky. The distillery’s whisky is not as aggressively smoky as that of its neighbors Ardbeg or Laphroaig, the latter of which is also owned by Suntory Global Spirits, and is usually aged in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks. The new Captivo Collection follows suit.

This is a pair of 20-year-old single malts, one of which is available here in the U.S., the other as a global travel retail exclusive. Captivo Oak Voyage was aged for two decades in American oak ex-bourbon barrels before spending some time in American oak Oloroso sherry butts. The whisky, which was bottled at 50.8 percent ABV, is rich and decadent with notes of cherry syrup, praline, almond paste, black pepper, oak, and just a bit of smoke on the palate, and the high ABV suits it very well by providing some heat on the finish. Overall, it is excellent.

Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit is the global travel retail offering, available now at airports in Taipei and Hong Kong, with more markets to follow. This is also a 20-year-old whisky with more of a sherry cask influence than the first. It was aged in Spanish oak Oloroso sherry and American oak ex-bourbon barrels, and then finished in Oloroso sherry hogsheads and bottled slightly higher than the previous whisky at 51.8 percent ABV. We did not get to sample this expression, but the official tasting notes detail tropical fruit, black pepper, soft oak, smoked toffee, and sweet peat smoke on the palate.

The Snarkitecture partnership involves the packaging design, as you might expect. According to the brand, co-founder Alex Mustonen was inspired by the landscape of Islay and created “portals” for each bottle. “I drew similarities between how Bowmore’s whisky is made and how I approach an architectural environment,” he said in a statement. “In architecture, spaces and objects invite people to look again and question their assumptions. I discovered whisky-making shares a similar philosophy, rewarding time, patience, and curiosity.”

Captivo Oak Voyage is available now at specialty retailers (SRP $350), while Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit is available exclusively at global travel retail (SRP $380).