Bowmore

Bowmore has been distilling in the town of the same name since 1779, making it the oldest working distillery on Islay. It sits on the shore of Loch Indaal, where one wall of its No.1 Vaults doubles as part of the town's sea wall, keeping the whisky maturing below sea level in an unusual microclimate. The distillery still runs its own floor maltings, a labour intensive method most Islay producers gave up long ago, and now sits under Beam Suntory, part of Easy Tiger's wider whisky and Scotch whisky selection.

That floor malted barley, blended with mainland malt, feeds a medium peated style built more around integrated smoke, sea salt, and honeyed fruit than the heavier peat found in some southern Islay single malt whisky. Water from the River Laggan and ageing in those below sea level vaults give Bowmore its rounded, balanced character.