North Star Bowmore 11 Year Old
Key Facts About This Single Malt Scotch
Bottler: North Star Spirits
Founder: Ian Croucher
Distillery: Bowmore
Region: Islay, Scotland
Age: 11 years old
Distilled: February 2015
Bottled: March 2026
Cask Type: Bourbon barrel and 7 months in PX octaves
Alcohol by Volume: Cask strength, 56.1%
Outturn: 163 bottles
Bottled: Natural colour and without chill filtration
Bottle Size: 700ml
Bowmore 11 Year Old Tasting Notes
Nose: A half-used Cuban cigar down the back of a Chesterfield (in a good way).
Palate: Liquorice & aniseed hard sweets with a waft of smoky fruits.
Finish: Salty, peppery, gingery lemon slice.
About this North Star Whisky
This Bowmore 11 Year Old from North Star Spirits, founded by Ian Croucher, is a richly expressive Islay single malt that layers Bowmore’s trademark coastal peat with the darker sweetness of Pedro Ximénez cask influence.
Distilled in February 2015 and bottled in March 2026, this whisky was initially matured in a bourbon barrel before spending a further seven months in PX octaves. The octave finishing process intensifies cask interaction thanks to the smaller size of the casks, allowing the PX influence to integrate quickly and deeply without overpowering the spirit’s underlying character.
Bowmore’s spirit is particularly well suited to this style of maturation. Its naturally balanced profile combining soft peat smoke, coastal salinity, citrus, and gentle fruit — provides an ideal foundation for richer sherry influence. Here, the PX finish adds layers of dark sweetness, spice, and texture while preserving the whisky’s freshness and smoky elegance.
On the nose, the whisky opens with a wonderfully evocative combination of smoke and richness: a half-smoked Cuban cigar resting deep within a sherry-seasoned leather armchair. Beneath that lies a subtle sweetness alongside polished oak and dried fruit character from the PX casks. The palate delivers liquorice and aniseed sweets alongside smoky fruits, balancing sweetness with Bowmore’s trademark earthy peat and maritime edge. The finish is long, salty, peppery, and bright, with gingery lemon and lingering smoke cutting through the richness beautifully.
Bottled at cask strength (56.1% ABV), with natural colour and without chill filtration, this is a whisky that combines intensity with balance, allowing both spirit and cask to remain clearly defined. With an outturn of 163 bottles, it’s a tightly limited release that offers a darker, richer interpretation of Bowmore while retaining the distillery’s unmistakable coastal identity.
A smoky, savoury, and subtly decadent Islay malt where peat, PX sweetness, and maritime freshness come together in impressive harmony.
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Meet The Founder
Iain Croucher