Bowmore 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky
Bowmore 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky is a 750mL Islay single malt bottled at 43% ABV, matured for eighteen years in hand-selected ex-bourbon and sherry oak casks in Bowmore's No. 1 Vaults — the sea-level warehouse where the Atlantic weather works on the casks. One of the most balanced whiskies in the Bowmore range, it pairs the distillery's medium peat smoke with the deep fruit and chocolate that long sherry-cask time brings. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 43%
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 18 years
- Casks: Hand-selected ex-bourbon and sherry oak casks
- Region: Bowmore, Isle of Islay, Scotland
- Distillery: Bowmore Distillery, distilling since 1779; matured in the No. 1 Vaults
Eighteen Years Below Sea Level
Bowmore is Islay's oldest distillery, founded in 1779, and its No. 1 Vaults sit below the sea wall — waves have been known to break over the warehouse in a storm, and the casks inside breathe that salt air for their whole lives. The 18 Year Old is the range's study in patience: left to mature at its own pace in a hand-picked mix of bourbon and sherry oak, it comes out layered rather than loud, the peat woven through fruit and cocoa instead of sitting on top of them. Compare the younger expressions on the Bowmore vendor page and in our Scotch whisky collection.
Tasting Notes
Per the brand's official notes, in summary: a mellow mahogany malt with creamy caramel toffee, ripe fruit and smoke on the nose; soft fruit and chocolate balanced with light smokiness on the palate; and a long, wonderfully balanced finish.
How to Enjoy
Neat, in the evening — this is a slow Islay, and water opens the fruit more than the smoke. More peated malts are in our whisky collection and across our spirits collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Bowmore 18 Year Old different from the 12 and 15?
Time and cask selection: eighteen years in hand-selected bourbon and sherry casks gives it a deeper, more integrated balance of fruit, chocolate and peat than the younger core expressions.
What are the No. 1 Vaults?
Bowmore's original maturation warehouse on the Islay shore, sitting below sea level — one of the oldest whisky warehouses in Scotland, and the home of this whisky's whole 18 years.
How smoky is Bowmore 18?
Medium-peated by Islay standards — present throughout, but balanced against sherry-cask fruit rather than dominating the glass.
The patient end of Islay — order Bowmore 18 Year Old online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.