Whisky: Inchgower 27 Year (1990), Special Release 2018

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 55.2%

Cask: Refill American Oak

Age: 27 Year (Distilled 1990, Bottled 2018)

Nose: Honey, orchard fruits, and subtle floral spice. Honey— almost mead-like— wafted from the glass with orchard fruits, golden raisins, and hints of clotted cream and scones. Honey-drenched sesame pastries continued past a kiss of salt and straw-stuffed crates of apples— cargo in a frigate ship at sea— with the aroma of line-dried linens emerging with more time.

Palate: Medium-bodied with a bright profile of orchard fruits, herbs, and a kiss of salt. Apple slices enjoyed with a cooling jasmine mint tea and hints of strawberry jam on toast. Menthol and tobacco appeared on the mid-palate as orchard fruits faded toward rambutan and faintly tropical stone fruits. Almost effervescent at times, with hints of peach flavor tea and a kiss of salt at the end.

Finish: Lingering notes of pears and tea.

Score: 5

Mental Image: Orchard Fruit Smugglers

Notes: My Inchgower experience is limited, so I had few preconceptions coming into this dram. I still do not know what to make of Inchgower— the flavor profile was pleasant, classic Speyside orchard fruits and honey, with a bit of additional complexity from an herbal undercurrent and kiss of salt. It was delicious, though perhaps a little bit unremarkable. After nearly three decades in the cask, the mouthfeel was well balanced, but there was not a ton of depth to the flavors. Orchard fruit is not one of my favorite notes, so I was not particularly taken in by its starring role. I imagine this would be an absolute treat for fans of Glenfiddich or Balvenie, as I thought it inhabited a similar flavor space with an additional an underlying oaky richness or old oak note that might stand out as something new.

I have had fantastic luck with some of the Diageo Special Releases. Generally, I think the range provides access to premium distillery offerings (both in times of price and quality) that are otherwise hard to come by. I would chuck this more into the nice but not terribly characterful bucket. A sipper, assuming you love orchard fruits more than I, but not the sort of dram that will pull you into a new realm or leave you deep in contemplation. That is fine, but I am looking for a bit more from the special release series.

Image Credit: Hedonism Wines