Cadenhead’s ‘Original Collection’ Inchgower 12 Year Old 700ml 46%

Details
700ml: 46%alc
Age: 12-year-old
Region: Highlands/Lower Speyside
Cask Type: Sherry/Bourbon/Madeira
Bottler: Cadenhead’s

Description
Such beautiful colour. This 12-year-old Cadenhead’s release showcases the Inchgower spirit, matured in a mix of ex-sherry casks, ex-bourbon and ex-madeira casks. Owned by drinks giant Diageo, 99% of the distillery’s output goes into blending, predominantly Bells whisky and the only real way to sample their whisky is via indies like WM Cadenhead’s which are few and far between.

About Inchgower distillery.
The Inchgower distillery lies in Banffshire not far from the mouth of the River Spey and just on the outskirts of the fishing town, Buckie. It was founded in 1871 by Alexander Wilson and Co who utilised the buildings and infrastructure of the old Tochieneal Distillery. In 1938, Arthur Bell and Sons acquired the distillery for £3,000.

Despite being a relatively small-scale distillery, Inchgower boasts thirteen onsite warehouses which hold up to 60,000 casks. There have been very few official releases and independent bottlings are also quite rare. Their maturation warehouses, blending facility and a bottling line are all located on-site. The Inchgower whisky is classified as a Lower Speyside Malt and takes its water from a burn rising in the Menduff Hills to the south of Buckie.

Interesting Fact
Less than 1% of Inchgower’s malt is kept back for bottling as a single malt. The Flora & Fauna 14yo is the only official release still readily available, although there are also handful of rare bottlings from the turn of the century.