It has recently come to our ears that an exceptionally rare bottle of Bowmore’s oldest whisky, and at the same time the oldest Islay Single Malt ever produced for sale, has been sold to an unknown figure for a massive $160,000 at the Bowmore Distillery on Islay, following two failed attempts to auction it. The proceeds that resulted from the sale will be directed towards 5 different Scottish charities.
The first ever recorded distillery on Islay, and one of the oldest throughout Scotland, Bowmore was reportedly founded back in 1779. It is currently owned by Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd., a holding company in term owned by Suntory, a Japanese drinks company. This particular blend of whisky, distilled in 1957, was bottled in 2011 and has been maturing in the finest of oak barrels within Bowmore’s renowned No. 1 Vaults, the oldest maturation warehouse in Scotland, for more than 5 decades now.
Putting aside the exquisite drink, the bottle itself is quite a staggering piece as well, to be honest. It was hand blown and sculpted by two acclaimed glass artists – Nichola Burns and Brodie Nairn. It’s almost like it displays the waves that used to crash against the walls of the No. 1 Vaults, which were reportedly facing the sea.
Superbly inlaid with flecks of platinum, the glass ornaments are quite amazing. In fact, they cover the surfaces of each of the total of 12 bottles of this limited edition series, all of them also boasting a platinum neck collar engraved by hand with the spirit strength and the bottle number, alongside a platinum stopper which was hand-manufactured by a Scottish jeweler that holds a Royal Warrant from the Queen of England, Hamilton & Inches.
The presentation package is quite staggering as well – the bottle comes in a box manufactured by the fabled carpenter Peter Toaig from Scottish oak pieces carefully chosen by hand, while being accompanied by a water pitcher and whisky glasses, also blown by hand by Nairn and Burns.
