Bea's Birthday Booze: Inchgower 37 year old 1982 Old & Rare Platinum Selection

Yes, I've just run off three 90-point reviews in a row, as if this were Whisky Advocate or something. Now I'm risking blowing even more sunshine out of my ass with today's 37 year old Inchgower. Now, Inchgowers can be weird, and I like weird, but a tragic 1982 Inchgower once found its way into my glass. Today's cask has a reasonable outturn and ABV, so no potential negative indicators there. And whiskybase's lone written review is by a reliable fellow. So I'm ready for this!

Distillery: Inchgower

Distilled by: Arthur Bell & Sons

Current owner: Diageo

Region: Speyside (Banffshire)

Independent Bottler: Hunter Laing
Range: Old & Rare
Sub-Range: Platinum Selection

Age: 37 years (1982 - 2019)

Maturation: probably a bourbon cask

Outturn: 178 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 50.1%
(from a bottle split)

NOTES

The nose is......like nothing I've smelled before. I'll try to do it justice. Stale milk chocolate + Cheerios + hay + Underberg. Sour milk + agave nectar + mint toothpaste. Apple cider and metal? Not much changes once the whisky is diluted to 46%abv, maybe more flowers, orchard fruits, and metals. Maybe?

The palate is slightly easier to describe. Bouquets of flowers encircled by a minty glow. Flower Kiss candy, white peaches, and fresh cherries. Cashews and raw wheat. Never too sweet. Diluting the whisky to 46%abv, makes it sweeter and bitterer. The florals and mint still dominate, while a comfy apple cider note expands beneath.

It finishes cheerfully, with flowers, sunflower seeds, lemons, and mint leaf. At 46%abv, there's apple cider, mint, and a rooty bitterness.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

Okay, maybe I wasn't ready for this. Is it UnWhisky or ÜberWhisky? Or both? It's strange, fascinating stuff, as Inchgower can be as it gets older. Not sure if I'd make a habit of drinking this whisky, but it's truly a singular spirit. It's the mintiest single malt I've ever had, and also one of the most floral (though never perfume-y). It's also the third straight whisky that left me preferring the palate over the nose, which probably has never happened before on this site. This Inchgower is remarkably unique, not unlike Beatrice (all flowers, lemons, mint, and rooty bitterness herself) who turns six years old today.

Availability - Might still be available in Europe?
Pricing - ???
Rating - 87 (a pointless (LOL) score)