20/10/2021 Inchgower

Inchgower 18yo d.1976 (46%, Direct Wines Ltd. First Cask, C#9891): nose: fruity and salty (or is that auto-suggestion?), this has plum compote and warm marmalade on toasted bread, with a layer of salted butter. The salt grows in intensity and becomes unmistakable, yet there is also something else -- something savoury and briny, perhaps Kalamata olives. Soon enough, it returns to jammy pastries, for a moment, then swings back to brine, this time adding capers and a drop of squashed elderberry, as well as a touch of rancio. The clay floor of a musty dunnage warehouse and ageing wood round off the first nose. The second nose has nail varnish, somewhere in the back, and a leafy aura -- waxy leaves, to be precise, yet I do not think it is rhododendrons. Desert roses, maybe? It also has a slightly nutty note, be that hazelnut oil or Brazil-nut body butter. Finally, a hint of cellophane makes itself heard too. Mouth: briny and coastal, this has a hefty dose of salt, sea spray, black olives and capers, yet also a sweeter vibe of plum compote, which is a s welcome as it is unexpected. The texture is velvety and thick; it reminds me of tulip petals, and there is a very-gentle bitterness to support that idea. The second sip puts the spotlight on that sweetness, and it becomes very much smooth compote or warm yoghurt. Ha! It may even have pineapple chunks, now, so ripe they melt on the tongue. Whatever it is, and however sweet it is, the taste buds never let one forget that it is sprinkled with sea salt, and punctuated with ginger peels or shy cedarwood sheets. Much later on, this even gives an impression similar to blanc-orange (Belgian gin, or pékèt, mixed with orange juice). Finish: interestingly, the finish seems chocolate-y to begin with -- milk chocolate. That chocolate dissipates, though, and makes room for mischievous briny flavours: olives again (green and black, this time), salted capers and others. Despite those savoury tastes, in the long run, the finish also becomes sweeter. Here too, it is plum compote, squashed pineapple chunks and warm fruity yoghurt, and here too, that is augmented with soft woody accents that grow louder with each sip. Cedarwood sheets, mild and drying, dried lemongrass shavings, ground mace. That sweet-and-salty meandering is quite something! 8/10