In the world of whiskey, there are several bottles that are called "legendary bottles" or "phantom bottles. One of the most famous such bottles that has been the subject of a lot of attention on the auction market is the 60-year-old bottle of Macallan distilled in 1926, which has been introduced in this corner before. In less than 30 years, the bottle fetched 240 times its original price. However, there were only about 30 bottles of this bottle when it was launched, and it was an auction item from the start, so few people had ever had a bottle. I was lucky enough to have a chance to drink it once in the late 1990s, but how many people in the world could have had the chance to drink this fantastic bottle of Macallan? Probably only a few hundred. It is a matter of course, but I am sure that no one would ever try to obtain and open this bottle. It is therefore a "phantom bottle," and although everyone recognizes its auction value, no one mentions its aromas, flavors, or taste.
On the other hand, many whisky fans rave about the taste of "Black Bowmore," which was released between 1993 and 1995 by the Bowmore distillery on the island of Islay. Bowmore is one of the oldest Scotch distilleries, founded in 1779, and of course the oldest on Islay. The Morrison family supported the prosperity of Glasgow, which flourished as the center of the Industrial Revolution from the 18th to the 19th century, and Stanley is a direct descendant of the Morrison family and has been in the wine business for many years. Stanley's longtime dream was to own his own distillery.
Stanley reviewed the production facilities and system of Bowmore, and especially, he brought the best sherry casks from Spain to the island of Islay, making use of the personal connections he had cultivated in the wine business. The Black Bowmore was distilled in 1964, and was placed in the No. 1 Woltz, the first aging cellar, which was nearly 200 years old at the time. This is said to be the oldest scotch bunker built of stone, and it was built to overhang the sea. The casks were placed side by side at the place closest to the sea. About 30 years have passed since then. The reason for the name "Black Bowmore" is that it was filled in first fill Oloroso sherry butt casks (500 liter capacity), which gave it a color like brown sugar.
1995, 31 years old.
Islay's legendary whiskey priced 2,000 times higher in the 30 years since its release.
There are actually three types of Black Bowmore: a 29-year-old distilled in 1993, a 30-year-old distilled in 1994, and a 31-year-old distilled in 1995. All were distilled in 1964, and the 29- and 30-year-olds are 50% alcohol by volume, while the 31-year-old is slightly lower at 49%. All are cask strength, and the bottling numbers are 2000 bottles for the 29 year, 2000 bottles for the 30 year, and 1812 bottles for the 31 year, which was released in 1995. When they were offered for sale, they were all priced at 100 pounds a bottle. At the time, 1 pound was about 200 yen, so the price was about 20,000 yen. However, few people paid attention to this Black Bowmore when it was first released. 1993 was a different time from today when no one knew anything about single malts, and the smoky and powerful flavor of this Black Bowmore may have been unique. Legend has it that the distillery staff could buy it for 80 pounds at the company store, but few of the employees bought it.
However, from the late 1990s to the millennium, the distillery gradually began to be known for its taste and rarity, and before you knew it, the price exceeded 1,000 pounds per bottle, and it became a battle among whisky fans around the world. Unlike Macallan, the accolades from those who drank it turned Black Bowmore into a legendary whisky, and it was said, "Any malt fan should drink it at least once in his/her lifetime. It has come to be said that "malt fans must drink it at least once in their lifetime, and you cannot talk about single malt or Islay without it".
Thirty years have passed since then. Now, this bottle of Black Bowmore has become a truly legendary whiskey, a bottle that is known by malt fans around the world as a fantastic whiskey. Although it appears only occasionally at auctions (because unlike the Macallan 60 year old, it is bought to be drunk), it is said that if the three Black Bowmores of 1993, 1994, and 1995 were to be auctioned as a set now, it would cost no less than 200,000 pounds or 300,000 dollars. In Japanese yen, that would be 40-50 million yen. The price of the bottles, which were originally sold at 100 pounds per bottle, has jumped nearly 2,000 times in just 30 years. As I have said many times, this is because people have been drinking it and the number of existing bottles has been decreasing.
I myself have drunk Black Bowmore many times and bought a bottle at the Bowmore distillery right after its release in 1993. In the beginning, it was a normal bottle that you could drink and buy. The last time I drank it was in 2005, at a hotel bar in the mountains of Scotland, and at that time it was already about 150,000 yen for a glass (30ml). I wonder how it is now....
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