Scotland, Speyside: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Inchgower

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Inchgower distillery
Inchgower Distillery
Buckie
Banffshire
AB56 5AB
+44 1542 831161
Owner: United Distillers & Vintners (Diageo)
Creation date1824

The foundation date on the only official version of this single malt is in fact the date of the creation of the Tonicheal distillery. The latter has been rebuild on a different site in 1871, and renamed Inchgower by the nephew of the founder of Tonicheal, Alexander Wilson. The move has been decided because of the landlord who wanted to double the price of the rent..
The distillery was considered to be a model in those days, as it had its own cooperage, its own forge and its own joinery. The workers houses aligned at the entrance of the distillery were typical too.
Inchgower has been property of the city of Buckie between 1930 and 1936, when it's been purchased by Arthur Bell & sons.
It has been modernised and enlarged in 1966 and its production capacity has been doubled.
Bell & Sons has been taken over by Guinness in 1985. Guinness, in association with Gran Metropolitan, would become UDV a few years later.
Just 1% of the production is sold as single malt, the remaining part being used in the Bell's, Johnnie Walker and White Horse blends.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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Inchgower: official bottlings

Inchgower
Rare Malts 27 y.o.
1976-2004

Age
 27 years
Alcohol
 55.6%
Bottler
 Signatory
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Inchgower: 27 ans Rare Malts
The nose is marked by hints of hazelnut, a touch of was and a light smoke smell. The nose is rather animal too, something like a dry dog playing in an apple cellar, the fruity aspect being quite present as well. In the palate, a very pleasant and complex impression of tastes going all over the place, from malted barley to citrus fruits through a whole flavours palette, from refined wood to bitterness of unripe walnuts through citrus fruit. Very amazing in the mouth. The finish is relatively short, with memories of malt and wood, or even coffee. Nice experience.
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 Inchogwer: independent bottlings
 

Inchgower
Signatory Vintage
1986
Age
 15 years
Alcohol
 43%
Bottler
 Signatory
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The colour is pale yellow, and the nose is malted and spicy (pepper) and reveals a orange zest hint.
Fresh and elegant, it develops on sweet camphor and vegetal (chlorophyll) touches.
The full and bodied mouth confirms the nose, with malt and pepper hints.
The finish reveals the bitterness of barley.

(la Maison du Whisky)

The style of Inchgower is rather different of this of most other whiskies from that area, because of its harder and more salted character. The whisky is rather interesting, but should be reserved to people who are initiated. I would not recommend it, unless for people who like less round and aromatic whiskies. The area offers such a lot of lovely malts... 

A second tasting came to the same conclusion. It is a bottling of an independent bottler (one of the most famous), and one can not judge of the quality of the distillery. It is just a sample of the production, a deceiving sample... The character, more acid as spicy of this whisky who does not have the traditional complexity of malts from the area makes that this bottling is not too interesting, according to myself.

The nose is marked by hints of cut grass (hay) and a touch of citrus fruit (orange) and spices. In the palate, the orange is rather present, on a malty background. A kind of monotony as well, despite the nice peppery hints. The finish is some peppery as wall, and not too long.
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Inchgower
Auld Distillers collection
25 years

Age
 25 years
Alcohol
 54.1%
Bottler
 Jack Wieber
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Inchgower JackWieber
No doubt, this is really a sherry monster. A very perfumed nose clearly marked by sherry letting some nice fine woody hints show through. What a perfume... The mouth is wonderfully smooth and complex, with now fresh woody hints, now slightly acid touches, with the constant presence of sherry which is an undoubtedly plus point. What a palate... The lingering finish is sherryish as well and the woody hints are nicely complex too. What a finish...
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Inchgower samples

Inchgower
Coopers Choice
1980

Age
 24 years
Alcohol
 46%
Bottler
 The Vintage Malt Whisky Company
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Inchgower Coopers Choice
A very clear floral nose, (undergrowth flowers), discrete exotic fruit hints and a touch of sherry make a very interesting introduction fot this whisky which seems to be very nice and complex from the very first nosing.
In the palate, a very pleasant impression of sherry, mixed to clear but not boring woody hints. But finally the sherry keeps dominating the whole.
A nice finish, wel balanced and perfumed, going from walnut to liquorice. A lingering and warm finish.
An excellent surprise.
.
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Speyside

Speyside Map

The Speyside area is situated at the North of the Cairngorm mountain and goes to the Moray firth. It is delimited by two rivers: the Findhorn at the West side and the Deveron on the East side.
The area is named after the river Spey. Most of the distilleries take their water in one of its affluents; the Fiddich, the Livet or the Avon.
About sixty distilleries from Speyside are described on this site.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information
about the Speyside area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please
click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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