Whisky Focus - Bowmore Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit and Bowmore Captivo Oak Voyage 20 Year Old

Bowmore has unveiled Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit, a limited-edition 20 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky developed in collaboration with internationally acclaimed design studio Snarkitecture. The release is exclusive to global travel retail and forms part of the new Bowmore Captivo Collection, which brings together the distillery’s whisky-making heritage and contemporary design.

The whisky will launch in China, India and South Korea from November 2026, with a wider travel retail roll-out scheduled to begin in January 2027.

The collaboration centres on a shared appreciation of craftsmanship, creativity and discovery. While Bowmore’s single malts reveal layers of flavour through maturation and careful cask selection, Snarkitecture’s work explores how design can challenge perceptions and encourage people to look beyond the obvious.

The Captivo Collection comprises two 20-year-old single malts: Bowmore Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit, created for global travel retail, and Bowmore Captivo Oak Voyage, available in domestic markets. Each expression has its own character and story, reflected in distinctive bottle and packaging designs created by Alex Mustonen, co-founder of Snarkitecture.

Bowmore Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit: 20-Year-Old Islay Single Malt

Bottled at 51.8% ABV, with a recommended retail price of $380, Bowmore Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit explores the influence of Spanish oak and Oloroso sherry casks on the distillery’s characteristic combination of tropical fruit and peat smoke.

The 20 Year Old single malt has matured in Spanish oak Oloroso sherry casks and American oak ex-bourbon casks before being finished in an Oloroso sherry hogshead. Its flavour profile brings together tropical fruit and cracked black pepper, complemented by soft oak and smoked toffee. Sweet peat smoke and a touch of charred mango linger on the finish.

Dr Calum Fraser, master blender, Scotch and Irish at Suntory Global Spirits, says: "Bowmore Sherry Cask Pursuit explores a deeper relationship with sherry-seasoned oak and Bowmore spirit. The whisky’s smooth sweetness demonstrates the remarkable impact of time and cask selection, providing a different expression of Bowmore – rich and intense, but still with the tropical fruit, smoke and complexity that we want the distillery character to deliver."

Vanessa Widmann, managing director, Global Travel Retail, Middle East and Africa at Suntory Global Spirits, says: "The Captivo Collection brings together Bowmore’s exceptional whisky-making heritage with a contemporary creative perspective from Snarkitecture. As a GTR-exclusive, Sherry Cask Pursuit offers travelling consumers the opportunity to explore the world of Bowmore from a new perspective, while remaining true to the craftsmanship and character at its heart."

Snarkitecture Brings the Bowmore Captivo Collection to Life

Alongside the whisky, the collaboration introduces a distinctive visual identity for the Captivo Collection, with individual bottle and packaging designs created to reflect the character of each expression.

For Mustonen, the creative process involved travelling from New York to Islay to experience the island’s landscape and explore the distillery’s heritage. A key source of inspiration was Bowmore’s No.1 Vaults, one of the world’s oldest maturation warehouses, where the distillery’s whisky matures over time.

These influences informed the collection’s portal-inspired designs, which invite consumers to look beyond the packaging and discover the story behind the whisky. The concept also reflects the relationship between time and discovery: each 20-year-old single malt began its journey decades ago, with its character shaped by maturation before being enjoyed today.

Mustonen says: "Stepping into the world of whisky is a first for Snarkitecture. I drew similarities between how Bowmore’s whisky is made, and how I approach an architectural environment. In architecture, spaces and objects invite people to look again and question their assumptions. I discovered whisky-making shares a similar philosophy, rewarding time, patience and curiosity."

He continues: "I think about my projects as moments for people to cross thresholds into spaces that feel unlike day-to-day experiences. I approached the Captivo creative in a similar way, with the artwork acting as a portal into the world of Bowmore; into something extraordinary."

You will find the current Bowmore whisky range available from specialist online whisky shops such as The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt
 

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