Inchgower 14yo, Flora & Fauna

Speyside

70cl / 43%

£49 (price will increase)

Distillery                          By the coastal port of Buckie, Banffshire

Water source                Springs in the Menduff Hills.

Stills                                  2 x wash stills and 2 x spirit stills

(wash stills have a capacity 12'500 litres, spirit stills slightly smaller capacity of 7'200 litres)

Capacity per year         ~ 2-3m Litres

1871 – then became one of the few distilleries to have been owned by the local town council which stepped in to save the plant in 1936

1938 bought by Bells (now Diageo)

Despite the fact that it is a fairly small-scale distillery, Inchgower has a pretty impressive warehouse facility. It boasts 13 racked on-site warehouses, which can house up to 60'000 casks.

The distillery uses a combination of sherry and American oak casks, although sherry is used more often than American oak. Interestingly, the majority if the spirit housed in these warehouses isn't actually Inchgower single malt. The facilities serve as a storage space for many other distilleries, which is fairly unusual.

Has a history of being a fairly self-sufficient distillery.

The site even housed it's own cooperage, which was pretty unique. The distillery used to use it's own floor maltings, but nowadays it sources its malt from a Diageo-owned malting facility in Burghead, 20 miles to the west of Buckie. The malt that is used is unpeated.

Whisky

The only generally available distillery bottling from Inchgower, usually a key part of the Bell's blend.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora and Fauna - was a themed series of distillery only single malt whisky releases. Each distillery was given a particular creature as its symbol, displayed on each bottle's beautiful label (Oystercatcher on this) .

Gradually as distilleries were commercialised, closed or sold, the range of Flora and Fauna contracted, leaving these select remaining bottles collectable. Most often blended, whisky from each of these distilleries is rarely bottled as single malt, making each bottle from this collection even more rare.

Coastal style – spiciness and salty edge

APPEARANCE

Deep amber.

BODY

Medium bodied and mouth filling.

NOSE

Rich and deep and a hint of toffee. Short-crust pastry and fruit, like greengage tart or damson pie. Then it settles and becomes lighter and vaguely 'gun-metal' - a mix of metal, gun oil and cordite, but all very faint.

WATER

Freshens up but gives little away… scent of horse chestnuts - green and nutty - becomes much sweeter and more floral, like acacia honey.

PALATE

Sweet overall, but also curiously mouth-drying, with some salt and traces of oil.

FINISH

A saccharine-bitter finish that leaves an aftertaste of almonds.

Also do a 22yo and 27yo editions