Bowmore looks East with Mizunara Cask Finish

Beam Suntory has announced the launch of Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish, said to be the first ever Islay single malt finished in mizunara oak casks.

Beam Suntory has launched Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish, an East meets West fusion.

Unveiled last night (18 August) at an event in the Greenwich Observatory, London, the expression will be available from 1 September on allocation in the UK, US, Germany, France, Sweden, Japan and in travel retail. It is limited to 2,000 bottles, each priced from £650.

Selected ex-sherry and ex-Bourbon matured liquid was finished for three years in virgin Japanese mizunara oak with the result described as a “marriage” of Scottish strength and Japanese elegance.

While the release carries no age statement, at the launch David Turner, Bowmore head distiller, said that expressions contains “different vintages of the nineties”.

‎#EastMeetsWest

Mizunara trees grow in northerly Japan and can take up to 300 years to reach maturity. The casks used for Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish were handmade in Japan before being transported to Bowmore’s No. 1 Vaults warehouse where the liquid fully matured.

It is thought that this is one of the first occasions the casks have left Japan for use in whisky production elsewhere.

International marketing manager (malts) at Beam Suntory, Hannah Fisher, said: “I cannot stress highly enough how much this was an experiment.” She added that casks offering the Bowmore “signature style” were selected for the expression.

To highlight the Scotland-Japan partnership, an #EastMeetsWest Twitter teaser campaign preceded the official launch.

Given tasting notes: “A spicy, mellow taste of sweet vanilla, cedar wood, mango, honey rose blossom, Bowmore’s signature peatiness, fragrant smoke”.

Last year Bowmore released the second batch of its limited edition Devil’s Cask range after the first batch sold out in record time.