Bowmore 20 Years Old – Oak Voyage – Snarkitecture Captivo Collection 50.8%
Two worlds. One pursuit. A new perspective on Bowmore.
The Bowmore 20 Years Old Oak Voyage 50.8% forms part of the remarkable Captivo Collection, a design-led collaboration between Bowmore and acclaimed New York creative studio Snarkitecture. Bringing together more than two centuries of Islay whisky-making heritage with contemporary art, architecture and design, this release explores not only how exceptional whisky is created, but how it is experienced.
At the heart of Oak Voyage is a beautifully matured 20-year-old Bowmore. The whisky spent two decades maturing in American oak ex-Bourbon casks, followed by a finish in American oak Oloroso sherry butts. This carefully considered combination creates a wonderfully layered expression in which Bowmore's unmistakable maritime and gently smoky character meets remarkable richness, fruit and oak.
Bottled at an impressive 50.8% ABV, Oak Voyage opens with aromas of salted toffee, dried fruits, orange peel, tobacco and honey. The palate reveals dark cherry, candied orange and Manuka honey, followed by an intriguing freshness of eucalyptus and beautifully toasted oak. The finish is long and elegant, combining smooth vanilla sweetness with a delicate whisper of campfire smoke.
Bowmore × Snarkitecture
What makes this release particularly fascinating is the creative world surrounding the whisky.
Snarkitecture is a New York-based creative studio co-founded by Alex Mustonen, operating at the intersection of art, architecture and design. The studio has become known for challenging the way we interact with familiar spaces, forms and materials, often transforming something recognisable into an entirely new experience.
For this collaboration, Mustonen travelled from New York to Islay, visiting Bowmore and its legendary No.1 Vaults on the shores of Loch Indaal. The landscape of Islay, the architecture of the distillery and the atmospheric maturation warehouses became important sources of inspiration.
From this journey emerged the central concept behind the Captivo Collection: “Threshold and Passage.”
The striking presentation uses sculptural, portal-inspired forms to represent transition and discovery – a passage between past and present, New York and Islay, architecture and whisky. It reflects the extraordinary journey of a spirit created two decades ago and revealed today through an entirely contemporary perspective.
The Captivo Collection comprises two 20-year-old Bowmore Single Malts: Oak Voyage and Sherry Cask Pursuit, each exploring a different dimension of maturation and cask influence.
The Bowmore Distillery
Founded in 1779, Bowmore is the oldest distillery on Islay and one of Scotland's most historic names in Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
Situated on the shores of Loch Indaal, Bowmore remains deeply connected to its island home. The distillery continues to operate its own traditional floor maltings, where barley is still turned by hand, while peat smoke contributes to the distinctive character for which Bowmore has become renowned.
Perhaps most famous are the legendary No.1 Vaults, one of Scotland's oldest maturation warehouses, positioned on the shoreline of Loch Indaal. Within these historic stone walls, some of Bowmore's most extraordinary whiskies have matured over the decades.
Bowmore's signature character is defined by a remarkable balance of fruit, maritime minerality, sweetness and elegant peat smoke – a style that has made the distillery one of Islay's most celebrated and collectable names.
The Bowmore 20 Years Old Oak Voyage – Captivo Collection 50.8% brings that centuries-old heritage into a new world: an exceptional 20-year-old Islay Single Malt where whisky-making, architecture and contemporary design meet.
