In the Spirit of Collaboration
All of us at Bonnie & Wild were delighted to have once again hosted the exclusive launch of the latest Bowmore Aston Martin Masters’ Selection whisky, a stunning product that showcases the very best of these two high-profile brands.
The glitzy launch, complete with beautiful canapes served up from Creel Caught, was the third year that our friends at Bowmore have held the launch at Bonnie & Wild. Their partner in design Aston Martin also brought a couple of their beautiful performance cars to St James Quarter, gaining access to some exclusive parking just outside Bonnie & Wild!
The VIP event was organised by Edrington in collaboration with national drinks wholesaler Inverarity Morton. Guests included keen whisky collectors and connoisseurs, and familiar faces and friends from across the sector.
While the star of the show was the latest Bowmore whisky, everyone was treated to a very special tasting courtesy of Bowmore’s Master Blender Ron Welsh. The world-renowned whisky expert took the select audience through a sensory journey comprising the three premium whiskies, kicking off with the 2021 release, followed by last year’s expression, before concluding with the latest whisky.
During a Q&A session, Ron revealed that he’d worked closely with Aston Martin to create the whiskies, adopting some of their design principles during the blending process. He discussed how the first Masters’ release focused on the Golden Ratio, the artistic and design principle that underpins natural beauty, while the second whisky was more focused on elevating the character of the Bowmore distillery. The latest release, he said, was “all about the maturation”.
Double matured in curated European Oak and Oloroso Sherry casks along with a careful selection of American Oak hogsheads, the latest Masters 22yo release is an intense, sweet and complex dram.
Ron’s tasting notes describe the whisky as:
Russet in colour, its nose is rich and sweet, with initial notes of lemon peel, poached peaches and vanilla giving way to indulgent tones of treacle, salted toffee, antique oak, roasted chestnuts and soft leather. The taste is rich and intense. Sherried, complex and nutty in character, with hints of cocoa beans intermingled with sundried raisins, Muscovado sugar, red berries and an elegant layer of peat smoke. The finish is long and sweet with lingering oak spices and sea salt.
The Bowmore Aston Martin Masters’ Selection 22yo is available from the Bottle Shop at Bonnie & Wild, while stocks last, priced at £425.
Images by Ryan Johnson