Bowmore’s island home of Islay is steeped in history, and rich in myth and legend. In celebration of these unique stories, the distillery recently unveiled the third release of its collaboration with graphist artist and illustrator Frank Quitely. “Lovers Transformed” is a duo of limited-edition travel retail exclusive collectible single malts: a 23 Year Old and a 36 Year Old. Both have been launched in selected travel retail locations worldwide.
The Lovers Transformed 23 Year Old (50.9% ABV) is a single malt, finished in refill Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry seasoned European Oak casks. There will be 8,000 bottles available.
Official tasting notes for it make mention that, “on the nose, the whisky incorporates the distinctive fresh aroma of Atlantic Ocean sea salt, which gives way to richer notes of toffee, salted caramel, tanned leather, honeycomb, stewed apples, rhubarb and ground ginger, with hints of rose petals and parma violets.
“On the palate, the liquid offers sweet, peaty notes of golden maple syrup, demerara sugar, cocoa beans, dark chocolate and liquorice root, with a hint of hazelnut and tannins. The finish is rich and earthy, with a long, honeyed sweetness.”
The Lovers Transformed 36 Year Old (45.2% ABV), meanwhile, is the oldest release to date within the Quitely collaboration. Only 700 bottles are available.
Finished in first fill Pinot Noir wine barriques, official tasting notes for it mention that “On the nose, this deep amber whisky combines notes of crisp green apple, violet and fresh pineapple, giving way to herbal scents of sage and thyme, plum, dried cloves and apricots, balanced by sweet, spicy cinnamon and fudge.
“On the palate, this whisky opening is oily and earthy, before offering up notes of sweet vanilla, juicy black currants and lemon, with an undercurrent of sea salt, white pepper, liquorice root and oak. The long, rich, smooth finish is enhanced with notes of orange, spice and gentle peat smoke.”
The Lovers Transformed 23 Year Old is $470, while the Lovers Transformed 36 Year Old is $4,000. They are specifically being made available from Bowmore in China, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Macau, MEA, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the UK and the US.
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With regards to the Quitely collaboration, both expressions feature exclusive designs from this illustrator, who is known for his Marvel and DC Comics illustrations, “which visually reinterpret” the myth’s “story of the daughter of a Pictish King from the East, who fell in love with a captured Celtic warrior from the West. In their quest to be united, the star-crossed couple set sail from the Scottish mainland, to the warrior’s home on the island of Islay.
“A thunderous storm sank their boat, and the young lovers – cleaving fast to one another – were claimed by the sea. In the eerie stillness of the following day, the wreckage of the boat was discovered on the rocky shores of Islay. But no trace was ever found of the lovers, save for a pair of white gulls soaring together high in the sky, settling neither to the East nor to the West, as if torn between the two.
“To this day on Islay, when two gulls are seen together in an otherwise empty sky, glasses are raised to the legend of the Lovers Transformed.”
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