The latest documentary from Whisky Magazine, Bowmore: The Making Of A Legend explores the origins of whisky making on Islay and charts the history of Islay’s oldest distillery from its earliest origins to today.

Until the 1970s, hardly anyone outside of the Scotch whisky industry had heard of Islay’s oldest distillery, let alone tasted its single malts. Yet, under the stewardship of the Morrison family and, more recently, Japanese distillers Suntory, Bowmore has steadily emerged from obscurity to become one of the world’s most desirable and collectable single malt whiskies.

Fast-forward to today, and we’re witnessing a time of significant change for Bowmore. Recent milestones include a partnership with Aston Martin, the sale of its STAC 55 Years Old for £562,000, the unveiling of a bold new look, and the release of two new permanent collections: the Sherry Oak Cask Collection and the Bowmore Appellations Range.

With interest in Bowmore more intense than ever before, we thought the time was right to sit down with the educators, visionaries, makers, and locals who know Bowmore best to discover how this small Islay distillery became a Scotch whisky icon.