Review by: Raygun

Somehow I’ve never gotten around to trying any Inchgower single malt. I’ve had it in JW blends and Cladach blended malt, but never on its own. There aren’t any OBs outside of a Flora & Fauna release, and and while it’s no Oban as far as IB rarity, it’s not one of the most common either. It’s known for its maritime flavor. This was a USA exclusive for SMWS. Reviewed from a sample. Rested about 15 minutes. 

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Distillery: Inchgower

Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society  

Region/style: Speyside single malt Scotch

ABV: 54%. Cask strength. 

Age: 16 years old. Distilled on September 11, 2008.       

Cask type: First-fill hogshead, 245 bottles 

Color: 0.9 amontillado. Natural color and non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Inchgower is not supposed to be a particularly fruity distillate, but this is. Orange, apple, pear, and a bit of pineapple. Some beach sand and cereal.                  

Palate: Definite salty tang, among the clearest salt from something unpeated that I can remember. Mixed fruit sprinkled with salt water. A little Tajin spice as well. Quite tart and citrusy. I was expecting more sweetness from the nose, but it’s very dry. 

Finish: Takes on some sour candy flavor. Orange, lime, maybe green mango. Still very briny, with moderate oak. Very dry like the palate. 

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Conclusion: Good first experience with Inchgower. Been a while since I’ve had something as dry and salty as this. The fruit from the nose had me expecting sweetness on the palate, but almost none to be found. A little too dry for me, in fact. The coastal flavors come as advertised. A little spice to it as well. I’ll be curious to try more.

Score: 80

Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky. (Convalmore 36)
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category. (Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1)
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram. (Ledaig 13 Amontillado)
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff. (Tomatin 18)
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting. (Glen Scotia 15)
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better. (Aultmore 12)
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink. (Glenmorangie 10)
• 50-59: Save it for mixing. (Old Pulteney 12)
• 0-49: Blech. (Muirhead’s Silver Seal 16)