Black Bowmore® 1964 50 Year Old The Last Cask

Estimate: $60,000-$80,000

One of the most rare and sought-after single malt whiskies ever created, the last cask rediscovered of Black Bowmore® 1964  spent an astonishing 50 years maturing in Bowmore’s legendary No.1 Vaults, one of the world’s oldest Scotch maturation warehouses, making this captivating whisky the oldest expression of the Black Bowmore series. Other acclaimed releases were in 1993 (29 Year Old), 1994 (30 Year Old), 1995 (31 Year Old), 2007 (42 Year Old), and the first collaborative creation between Bowmore and Aston Martin to be released this year: Black Bowmore DB5 1964. This exceptionally rare offering – a mere 159 bottles were produced – would be the jewel in the crown of any collection.

The tale of the 159 bottles of the half-century-old last cask of Black Bowmore is as beguiling as it is complex. On November 5, 1964, seven first-fill Oloroso sherry hogshead casks (3708, 3710, 3713, 3714, 3715, 3716, 3717) were filled to mature meticulously in the No. 1 Vaults. Every cask and spirit unites to create a special aging relationship and, in October 2002, it was discovered that casks 3708 and 3714 were quickly losing volume to the angel’s share. As such, they were combined into a single cask to preserve the precious cargo. In 2007, 827 bottles of Black Bowmore 42 Year Old from the other casks were released. Fortuitously as it turns out, the previously married cask was overlooked and was left undisturbed in the coolest, darkest corner of the No. 1 Vaults to continue its magical aging process. There the story ended, or so it was thought, until this last cask of Black Bowmore was rediscovered when trawling through the stock ledgers in 2014. 

Distillery Manager David Turner, whose Grandfather worked on the original bottling over 50 years ago, said “Black Bowmore is one of those whiskies that are celebrated by collectors and aficionados around the world. To have Black Bowmore available for auction is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

A refined whisky that is as beautiful inside as out, Black Bowmore 1964 is presented in a beautiful hand-blown bottle created by renowned sculpting studio Glasstorm with cork tops made by Scottish Silver. Each bottle is filled and sealed by hand and encased in a handmade Scottish oak cabinet created by John Galvin of John Galvin Design.