I was confused when I found out, back in 2020, that Bowmore, the famed Islay whisky distillery, was partnering with the legendary British automaker Aston Martin. Were they teaming up to promote... drinking and driving? Fortunately, no. The partnership positioned both Bowmore and Aston Martin (and Bowmore/Aston Martin) as luxury brands whose aura and reputation, when paired together, expanded beyond the stuff they made. Or something. As Aston Martin put it on their website, “The Aston Martin and Bowmore brands share the same vision of creating timeless beauty and a lasting legacy, loyal to their heritage but also embracing new methods.” Which really didn’t make me any less confused.
But you didn’t need to understand a mission statement to be impressed with the first fruit of the partnership — a ridiculously limited edition (25 bottles worldwide) of the 1964 “Black Bowmore,” one of the most famous and collectible single malts of the last 50 years, housed in a bottle made in part from a genuine piston from Aston Martin’s seminal DB5 model, also released in 1964. Appealing to car buffs and whiskyphiles alike, it caused quite a stir both for its cool factor and its price, a cool £50,000.
There have been several Bowmore/Aston Martin joint projects since then, including a limited edition car (!) employing strips from the distillery’s copper stills in the side strakes. A more affordable and potable alternative is the ongoing Masters’ Selection whisky series, a liquid collaboration between the Bowmore’s master blender, Ron Welsh, and Aston Martin’s chief creative officer, Marek Reichman. The notion of two perfectionist craftsmen working together to create the ultimate single malt is a compelling one, even if one of them comes from a different field. And the results seem to have borne out the concept — all three editions released to date have been very fine.
Third time's a charm: Masters' Selection Third Edition is the best one yet from the Bowmore/Aston ... [+]
I recently got to taste the three side by side, and while they’re all quite different from each other, it’s the third and latest, Bowmore Masters’ Selection Third Edition, that really stands out. Aged for at least 22 years in a mix of European oak, American oak, and Oloroso sherry casks, it’s bottled at 51% ABV. The aroma of dark fruits, campfire smoke and salty sea air comes wafting out of the glass almost as soon as it’s poured; those flavors translate to the palate, along with a light, tingly spice. The oldest distillery on Islay, dating back to 1779, Bowmore uses peat to malt its barley. But unlike peat bombs like Ardbeg or Lagavulin, a Bowmore’s smokiness, while present, harmonizes with the other flavors rather than dominating. It’s an elegant, complex but approachable dram that evokes the rocky Scottish coast where the whisky is distilled and aged.
At $400, it’s not cheap, but it drinks — and the fancy packaging presents — like a bottle that’s twice the price. I’m still not exactly sure what Aston Martin has to do with all this, but honestly, I’d rather drink the whisky than ask questions.
