Bowmore Distillery’s home of Islay has a history peppered with myths and legends. As Robin Laing recounts in Whisky Legends of Islay (2009), the Devil is supposed to have visited Bowmore village on a winter’s night in 1837. After being driven out the round parish church, purposely built so there were no corners to hide, he was chased into the Bowmore distillery, where the villagers bolted the doors.
But the Devil disappeared. And that night, The Maid of Islay, a small paddle steamer used for transporting Bowmore whisky, never returned from its cask-loaded trip to the mainland. Perhaps the Devil had hidden himself in a cask – where, ironically, there were also no corners to hide.
This release of both whisky and visuals is a collaboration between acclaimed Glasgow-born graphic artist Frank Quitely, who has worked with Marvel and DC Comics in his over 30-year career, and Bowmore’s master blender Ron Welsh. The collaboration marks the first in what will be a series of releases inspired by Bowmore’s legendary past.
“To get the call from Bowmore, a legendary icon in the world of whisky, offering me the opportunity of retelling the Islay legend ‘No Corners to Hide’, was hugely exciting,” said Quitely. “To do this in a single image would prove massively challenging, but – taking inspiration in the Devil himself – it’s all in the detail.”
The limited-edition series, of which only 666 bottles are available, combines two single malts, aged 23 and 32 years respectively.
The 23 Years Old was matured for 21 years in ex-bourbon American oak hogsheads before two years of further maturation in Essencia barriques. The distillery describes this subtly peated expression as possessing hints of beeswax and incense as well as golden syrup and marzipan.
The 32 Years Old spent 30 years in ex-bourbon American oak hogsheads before two years in Essencia barriques. The distillery says this whisky evidences notes of Seville orange peel, old cigar box and liquorice, alongside the expected peat.
Bowmore No Corners to Hide is now available in select Global Travel Retail outlets, with an RRP of US$400 for the 23 Years Old and US$2,995 for the 32 Years Old.
View Quitely’s accompanying film here.
But the Devil disappeared. And that night, The Maid of Islay, a small paddle steamer used for transporting Bowmore whisky, never returned from its cask-loaded trip to the mainland. Perhaps the Devil had hidden himself in a cask – where, ironically, there were also no corners to hide.
This release of both whisky and visuals is a collaboration between acclaimed Glasgow-born graphic artist Frank Quitely, who has worked with Marvel and DC Comics in his over 30-year career, and Bowmore’s master blender Ron Welsh. The collaboration marks the first in what will be a series of releases inspired by Bowmore’s legendary past.
“To get the call from Bowmore, a legendary icon in the world of whisky, offering me the opportunity of retelling the Islay legend ‘No Corners to Hide’, was hugely exciting,” said Quitely. “To do this in a single image would prove massively challenging, but – taking inspiration in the Devil himself – it’s all in the detail.”
Bowmore No Corners To Hide 23 Years Old
The limited-edition series, of which only 666 bottles are available, combines two single malts, aged 23 and 32 years respectively.
The 23 Years Old was matured for 21 years in ex-bourbon American oak hogsheads before two years of further maturation in Essencia barriques. The distillery describes this subtly peated expression as possessing hints of beeswax and incense as well as golden syrup and marzipan.
Bowmore No Corners To Hide 32 Years Old
The 32 Years Old spent 30 years in ex-bourbon American oak hogsheads before two years in Essencia barriques. The distillery says this whisky evidences notes of Seville orange peel, old cigar box and liquorice, alongside the expected peat.
Bowmore No Corners to Hide is now available in select Global Travel Retail outlets, with an RRP of US$400 for the 23 Years Old and US$2,995 for the 32 Years Old.
Frank Quitely
View Quitely’s accompanying film here.
