04/03/2021 Inchgower

I do not try nearly enough Inchgower. That said, it is not as common as many other distilleries, and what little makes it into the bottle, these days, tends to be underaged, which I am less interested in. But I have this, for which I have not yet taken full notes.


Inchgower 20yo 1990/2011 (46%, Angus Dundee for The Whisky Castle Cask Collection No. 15, American Oak Cask, C#6987, 264b): nose: a burst of white alcohol, but also porridge, barley mash and warm beer. Behind that perhaps not enticing first contact come plum juice, thick, pulpy and juicy, a pinch of dried oregano, pan-seared chicken thighs with rosemary, juicy and tender, lichen, or verdigris. Suddenly, antique wooden chests take centre stage, dark wood, covered in old varnish and patina. Next is sun-baked purple plastic buckets. The second nose seems brinier, with capers and dolmas, punctuated by a dollop of butter. This is quite a ride! The third nose still has brine, but cranks up the sweetness: it is almost custard cream, now, augmented with a cucumber relish. Mouth: meow. If it is marzipan, initially, that is quickly overtaken by bitter herbs (tons of rosemary, bordering on new rubber, in terms of bitterness), though that disappears as quickly as it came to make room for something sweeter and harder to identify... It resembles a hybrid between marzipan, plasticine, soaked raisins and juicy-peach flesh, yet it also has the awkwardness of unripe olives -- not that it is hugely detrimental, mind! The fruity sweetness is enough to balance the whole thing, in extremis, but the palate is reaching for many flavours, some of which may be less compatible with one another. Cucumber relish is one of those unexpected ones, and it comes back in the mouth. Finish: lots and lots of wax, here, even if it is waxy plasticine, rather than beeswax. Modelling clay, candlewax and warm plasticine alright. The finish sees in a (not-so) tiny rubber bitterness, hinting at rubber and black liquorice laces, yet also unripe green olives. Again, it is not distracting from the quality of the whole, but it feels a little incongruous. It is a long, lively finish that leaves the tongue tingling, throbbing, and craving for liquid, like tapenade would, or indeed, gin-and-tonic infused cucumber peel. Very original. I love it. 8/10