This is one of several sought-after bottles produced for Edinburgh's famous Prestonfield House Hotel, where Signatory Vintage director, Andrew Symington, was then employed as the Assistant Manager. These bottlings for his previous employer were the catalyst for the establishment of his own independent bottling company in 1988. He later launched The Prestonfield Whisky Co as a secondary brand in order to capitalise on the renown of the hotel bottlings in the wider market.

This is a 1965 vintage Bowmore, bottled by Morrison Bowmore for Prestonfield House from a single sherry cask. These whiskies distilled in the first years of Morrison Bowmore ownership are legendary vintages.

Islay’s oldest working distillery, Bowmore was established in 1779 and is now regarded as one of the most popular malts not only on Islay, but in the whole of Scotland. The distillery was acquired by Stanley P. Morrison in 1963, ushering in an era of iconic single malts, including the legendary Black Bowmore, credited by many as the genesis of whisky collecting, bottled in 1995. The distillery was bought under the control Suntory the year prior (they had been stakeholders since 1989), and it remains one of the most collectible brands in Scotch whisky today. Bowmore is one of the few remaining Scottish distilleries to use its own floor maltings, providing them with 40% of their requirements.

Still very fierce for its age, ashy and intense. The peat influence is greater than expected given the vintage and the age of the bottle. On the nose there is an uncanny hot and sour soup note, umami-rich with savory smoke and malty Chinese vinegars. With water goes towards the expected tropical fruits duking it out with dry, ashy smoke. The sherry is felt in a savory direction here, nutty and earthy without dark fruits. The brightness and acidity of the characteristic old-school Bowmore malt still shine, they are not crushed here. A very excellent bottle, but definitely cerebral and a little slow-drinking. Rush through and I bet the delicate fruits will be lost.

---

Show more

---

---

Show less

---