Inchgower 1982 Review

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Lower Speyside 

Brand: Inchgower 1982 (Whiskybroker)

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 29 Years

ABV: 53.9 % 

Date: 28/09/2013

Colour: Light Gold/Fresh Hay   

Nose: Give it some time to open up! Metallic, Mineral, Waxy and Dry. Quite clean for a 29 year old. The Alcohol still isn't fully integrated. I get Oak, Dried Fruit, Nut Casks, Butter, Malt, Pepper, Ginger, Salt, Herbs, Mint, Stone Fruits, Vanilla and Milk Chocolate. 

Palate: Bitter-Sweet, Fruity and Spicy with Melon, Berries, Oak, Toffee, Vanilla, Malt, Pepper, Mint and Nuts.

Finish: Quite Long with Butterscotch, Almond, Milk Chocolate, Malt, Pepper, Mint, slightly Bitter Oak and a pinch of Salt. Some Perfume towards the very end.

I added a bit of Water and some additional Malt, Butterscotch and Fruit (Peach) appear in the Nose. Palate and Finish get some extra Spices and Perfume. You can certainly experiment with a few drops in this case.

Rating: 83

Nose: 20.5  - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The Inchgower Distillery is located close to Buckie in Moray. It was constructed in 1871. It was bought in 1938 by Arthur Bell & Sons Ltd and until today Inchgower lies at the heart of the Bell's Blend. Today the distillery is part of the Diageo Group.

The Inchgower we are tasting today was distilled on June 30, 1982 and was bottled at Cask Strength by/for Independent Bottler Whiskybroker Co. in the United Kingdom on November 21, 2011. It matured in a Refill Hogshead with Cask # 6690. A mere 190 bottles were offered via Whiskybase in Rotterdam, Holland. The rest of the Cask was marketed via Master of Malt. I don't think it's still available. Lately it was priced at around 90 US Dollars. This whisky is naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: Very Fresh and Vital for a 29 year old! It's got quite some (Stone) Fruits as well but somehow they smell and taste a bit artificial. In contrast, the Butterscotch and Milk Chocolate are convincing. As a whole I miss a bit of direction and purpose. Interesting to taste and certainly different from your average Speyside. But not a Single Malt I would put on my Wish-List for Christmas.

Jan van den Ende                                                        September 2013