New Traditions

Eaux-de-vie such as the Bowmore x Aston Martin and Hennessy XO are breaking new ground with an unconventional approach to distilled spirits

- Jonathan Ho + Richard Augustin

When the first Black Bowmore DB5 1964 was released in 1993, whisky connoisseur and Bowmore brand ambassador Matthew Fergusson-Stewart recalled that it retailed at £70, “a price some thought was insane”. Five years ago, that first edition went under the hammer for US$14,850. And last year, the Archive Cabinet, housing a complete collection of Black Bowmores sold for S$760,849 at Sotheby’s Rare Whisky & Moutai Live auction.

With only 25 units available worldwide, one of those bottles with eau de vie aged for 31 years in sherry casks and a design inspired by the famous silver Aston Martin DB 5 driven by the late Sean Connery in the first James Bond film Goldfinger has come on the market. It went up for auction in January with Singapore’s sole example starting at a reserve price of S$90,000.

Both brands have immense histories. The Bowmore Distillery founded in 1779 established itself not only as the oldest, but also the most valuable Islay whisky when the distillery’s 54-year-old expression, distilled in 1957, sold for £363,000 in 2019. Aston Martin, founded in 1913, has produced cars renowned for performance and style. The company received its Royal Warrant in 1982 and went on to reset its own record when a DB1/1 sold for $22.5m, making it the most valuable British car ever sold at an auction.

Milestone Year: 1964