INGENUITY REDEFINED
Introducing the Bowmore ARC-52
United by a quest for timeless beauty, Bowmore and Aston Martin are further deepening their partnership with the launch of Bowmore ARC-52. The limited edition release is the first in a ground-breaking new series that represents the pinnacle of Bowmore and Aston Martin’s collaboration.
Bowmore ARC-52 redefines the super-premium whisky space by creating a rare, evocative, and visually striking expression. The decanter’s innovative design blends natural and man-made contours in a modernist fashion.
Balancing two points in an illusion of weightlessness, the decanter’s sculpted design takes the same approach as Aston Martin has when designing its ultra-luxury vehicles. One of its key features is an engineered bespoke magnetic key, which releases the aluminium top, while maintaining the bottle’s sleek lines.
Blending traditional hand-crafted clay modelling and hand-blown glass techniques with the latest in 3D printing technology, the decanter certainly makes its mark as a rare collectible and object of desire.
Uniting Bowmore’s whisky heritage with Aston Martin’s cutting-edge engineering is not without its challenges. Commenting on the collaboration, Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer Marek Reichman says: “ARC–52 sits at the apex of our partnership and truly showcases the depth of what we can create collaboratively.
“We set out to produce something which hasn’t been seen before, capturing our uncompromised design principles and also the magnificence of the whisky. I believe that what we have created is truly a piece of sculpture.”
Reichman adds: “Taking balance as the most important factor, as we do in designing Aston Martin cars, we’ve harnessed heritage and innovation in perfect harmony. For me, there is just so much to discover with this whisky as it embodies so much hidden knowledge and even the colour looks like it’s been created by time.”
“I believe that what we have created is truly a piece of sculpture” – Marek Reichman
“ARC–52 sits at the apex of our partnership and truly showcases the depth of what we can create collaboratively”
— MAREK REICHMAN
Reflecting similar sentiments, Beam Suntory Global Travel Retail Marketing Director Manuel González Soto adds: “We are delighted to be able to offer the exceptionally rare Bowmore ARC-52 to global travel retail. We have combined the cutting-edge design by Aston Martin and the craftsmanship of Bowmore to create a unique and a one-of-a-kind offering that collectors are guaranteed to fall in love with. Our partnership with Aston Martin is a prime example of how we are investing in the premiumisation of our GTR portfolio through a combination of exciting innovations and special limited editions.”
The whisky, one of the rarest ever released by Bowmore, was matured for 52 years in 50% American oak hogshead and 50% European oak butt. The single malt offers beautifully balanced complexity. It captures Bowmore’s classic character by offering a burst of herbal and medicinal notes, tempered with exotic fruit, praline and butterscotch notes to finish. By combining one of the distillery’s oldest whiskies in a futuristic vessel designed by the creative visionaries at Aston Martin, ARC-52 promises to be the partners’ most ambitious collaboration to date.
“A Bowmore as exquisite and complex as this 52-year-old is testament to the skills of our distillery team and their commitment to optimising the time spent in cask to create such an incredible spirit,” comments Bowmore Master Blender Ron Welsh. “With ARC-52, the complexity of this single malt is unquestionable and to achieve such perfect balance not only defines its physical form but unites beautifully in every drop of this stunning whisky. Working with Aston Martin remains hugely rewarding and fascinating for me. It continues to inspire and show us a different way of working, with absolute precision, and has allowed us to create what, in my opinion, is the best Bowmore over 50 years old that I’ve ever tasted.”
Only 100 decanters will be created and then released on a staggered basis globally. 50 bottles will be released this summer and the remaining 50 in 2023. 14 bottles of the rare expression will be released in global travel retail, seven to be unveiled this summer and a further seven to be launched in early 2023.
Bowmore ARC-52 will launch in key airport locations in London, Singapore, Dubai and Istanbul among others. Each bottle is numbered with a certificate of authenticity.
Spotlight Series - August 2022