Bowmore has launched the first-ever Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky to be finished in ‘precious, hand-crafted’ Japanese Mizunara oak casks, aptly named the Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish.

 

“Set for global release on 1 September 2015, the limited edition Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish brings together two of the world’s most renowned whisky islands – Islay, Scotland and Japan – to create a refined, elegant and complex Single Malt unlike any other before it,” says Bowmore.

 

Bowmore began distilling on the Scottish island of Islay in 1779, making it the first of Islay’s eight distilleries and one of Scotland’s oldest, claims the brand.

 

“On the other side of the globe, Japan has also become renowned for its superior quality of Single Malts and excellent craftsmanship,” says Bowmore. In the north of the country, Japan’s ‘revered’ Mizunara oak is left to grow for up to 300 years before being handcrafted into casks.”

 

Bowmore says that the hand-selected casks are ‘notoriously difficult to work with’ but prized for their flavours. “Casks made from Mizunara are among the rarest, treasured and most sought after in the world,” says the brand.

 

To create Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish, a selection of Mizunara oak casks made in Japan embarked on the 6,000 mile journey across two oceans to Islay before being laid to rest in Bowmore’s No.1 vaults.