Inchgower 11 Year (SMWS 18.45 "Hola!")

 

Inchgower is another of those little-known distilleries owned by Diageo that gets funneled wholesale into various blends (and specifically Bell's), with the odd off-profile cask sold off to independent bottlers and escaping into the wild to be sampled by curious drammers like myself. This was the 5th and penultimate sample provided at the March 2023 outturn tasting of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS").

Here are the official notes: 

The nose was rich and opulent with oily cured Spanish ham, ginger wine and prunes soaked in cream sherry. Sweet and spicy aromas of ginger wine and cinder toffee continued on the palate where they were joined by red apples, citrus peel and peaches. Creme caramel and coconut introduced creamy textures to compliment walnuts, pain au raisin and soft leather. With water came honey and linseed oil on exotic hardwoods with figs and grapes on black forest gateau. Orange oil and mandarins emerged on the palate with barbecued pineapple, toasted oak, and coconut while dark chocolate and menthol combined with soft wax on the finish. After spending 8 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead this was transferred to a first fill ex-oloroso hogshead for the remainder of its maturation.

Sounds classically Oloroso alright, all the ham, ginger, red fruit, and so on. Bottled at 57.3%, let's see how Inchgower presents itself with a sherry finish:

Nose: Sour - a little funky and tropical (guava and unripe mango). Very slightly meaty, very slightly spicy. 

Mouthfeel: Medium. 

Palate: Also sour, but more herbal now, and still somewhat tropical, with a new dusty/chalky note. A rich vein of caramel opens up at the end of the development and carries into the finish. 

Finish: Oak, caramel, and a weird cooling sensation that I suppose could be the official note of "menthol." It's interesting. 

Verdict: I didn't love this, and it was probably my least favorite of the seven samples that night. That said, there wasn't anything particularly wrong with it... it just didn't do anything I hadn't experienced before, really. I liked all the flavors, even if I didn't think they really went together particularly well. 

I think this is an example of when a secondary maturation subtracts from the spirit rather than adds to it or complement it. I think this would have been more interesting if all 11 years were ex-bourbon.