Bowmore distillery visit

This was actually the highlight of our visit. I have noted earlier that we stayed here, at a lovely cottage. With the cottage came a complimentary bottle of whisky, and a distillery tour. We potetgull for the special though, and it really was. The price were rather steep, 40£ I think, but it was worth it.

The tour
First of all, we got our own personal guide, and we got to do the round in our own tempo. This is very nice as we experienced being left behind on several other visits. The guide knew what she was talking about, and was pleasant company all along. Made us feel welcome. A job well done.
At what usually is the end of the tour, the value unfolded itself. We were shown into one of the warehouses, got to meet the manager, and got to taste new make and whisky from both sherry and bourbon barrels. The warehouse manager spent at least half an hour with us, and we had a very good chat. Drinking whisky from the barrels and photographing.

After this we was escorted to the bar and was served a selection of the distillery expressions. As much as we could drink, actually, but sadly we had to move on for lunch and the visit to Kilchoman.
The visitor centre
There was the bar, a restaurant and the shop, all quite nice, bot nothing out of the ordinary.
The shop
A good selection of what the distillery has to offer, and the usual stuff. What you'd expect, but not much more.
Overall verdict
Having such an offering as the special tour makes the Bowmore visit much more interesting than the standard tourist offering. That sets Bowmore apart. A visit to Bowmore is absolutely recomended.
The special tour has to be booked in advance though.