Inchgower 19 year old 1995 First Editions (US Release)

Monday's naked Inchgower did its job. Now it's time for a pair of sherry cask reviews. First up, a bottling that I eyed for years, a sherry hoggie (or half butt?) of Inchgower from Hunter Laing's stash. After waiting too long, I was thankful to get in on a bottle split. Time to find out if I missed the whisky train on this one.

Distillery: Inchgower

Region: Speyside (Banffshire)

Owner: Diageo
Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Range: The First Editions

Age: 19 years (1995 - 2014)

Maturation: sherry cask of some sort
Outturn: 240 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 55.2%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

The nose reads a bit closed at first. Heat, walnuts, lemon zest and a hint of Werther's Originals start things out. It gets more candied and floral with time. The palate arrives sweeter than expected, with cherry lollies, lemon candy and dried apricots. Again, it gets more floral (actual flowers) with time, a heavy pepperiness appears, and the lemon candy shifts to lemon peel. It finishes like a cherry, lemon, and pink peppercorn lollipop. A thing?

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1¼ tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Indeed, water releases the party. Here's the nose list: Figs, orange zest, cloves, cinnamon, dried blueberries and a hint of forest floor. The palate has the nose's cloves and cinnamon, with a pinch of brown sugar, a sip of herbal liqueur, and a wee orange candy. It finishes sweet with orange and lime candy.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

NOT a generic sherry cask here. And despite the dark color, the whisky is neither heavy nor tannic. The cask held onto the spirit's florals and sweet fruits, while adding moderate quantities of baking spices and dried fruits. It seems like that balance is harder to come by, with the push to oak the hell out of most things now. So, I approve! Not sure what the price was, but this would've been fun to own.

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - ???

Rating - 87 (diluted)