Bowmore 12 Year Old (1980s bottling) is an official distillery bottling of Islay single malt Scotch whisky, bottled by Morrison’s Bowmore Distillery Ltd in the brown “dumpy” bottle. This example comes with its original tube. It is from a private collection, and the bottle pictured is the bottle you will receive.

Bowmore introduced the brown dumpy bottle in 1979, the distillery’s bicentenary, when it redesigned the brand and replaced its 7 Year Old with a 12 Year Old. The packaging changed again in 1988. Suntory took a stake in the company in 1989 and full control in 1994. That places this bottle in the Morrison years, with spirit distilled in the late 1960s and 1970s.

Bowmore 12 Year Old (1980s Bottling) Tasting Notes

• Nose: Green apple, pear and vanilla, with floral notes and a soft malty sweetness. The smoke is faint.
• Palate: Fruit and florals in turn, sweet and juicy, with gentle oak appearing late.
• Finish: Long, sweet and lightly spiced, with a thread of smoke that lengthens as the spice fades.

The Morrison Years

Glasgow whisky broker Stanley P. Morrison bought Bowmore in 1963. He rebuilt much of the distillery but kept its floor maltings and traditional methods. Morrison’s ownership is regarded as a high point in Bowmore’s history. It produced the 1960s vintages that collectors now chase, and Black Bowmore, often credited with starting modern whisky collecting. The dumpy 12 Year Old was the everyday bottling of that era.

Bowmore Distillery

Bowmore stands on the shore of Loch Indaal and is traditionally dated to 1779, which makes it the oldest working distillery on Islay. It still turns part of its own barley on traditional malting floors. Its No. 1 Vaults warehouse sits partly below sea level, beside the sea wall.

NOTE: Product has come from a private collection. Actual product is pictured.