North Star Spirits Inchgower Tasting Notes

North Star Spirits Inchgower 2007 (11 year old) 52. 6%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: Jul 2007 Btl: Jun 2019/ Tasted: July 2019

Initially the aromas are high toned and grassy with apple, pear and sweet barley. Give it some time and it settles down to show some subtle honey and sweet oak. Although it does sweeten as the honey comes through the alcohol keeps it in check.

The palate is softer and fuller than the nose suggests with the fruit displaying a more fleshy character along with hints of grass, honey, sweet oak and barley. Slightly masked finish with lingering grass and subtle spices.

Water brings out beeswax, lemon and lemon notes to join the grass, barley and honey. The palate feels a little crisper as there is a touch more citrus now. Still honeyed and barley’d with a touch of beeswax. Long, sugar coated lime and grass finish.

James Eadie Inchgower Tasting Notes

James Eadie Cask Finishes Inchgower 2009 (12 year old) 56.7%

37 Months Refill Oloroso Butt finish

Dist:2009 Btl: 2022/ Tasted: Apr 2022

The nose is quite herbal with subtle sherried dried fruit. It becomes a little edgy and citric although some fruit does appear it is a little confect and the barley notes are a bit on the raw side.

The palate is to be honest rather non-descript with subtle raisinated fruit and barley. Hints of spice and toffee on the middle. Masked, raw, slightly spirity finish. Lightly spiced after-taste.

With water the nose is quite neutral, although it does bring out some butter American oak and possible emphasises the citrus. There is no sherry character on the palate now, just buttery and carameled American oak and plenty of industrial spirit character. Edgy citrus and green fruit finish.

Glenkeir Inchgower Tasting Notes

Glenkeir Treasures Inchgower 2008 (6 year old) 40%

Bourbon/ Dist: Feb 2008 Btl: Nov 2014/ Tasted: Dec 2014

Aromas of creamy American oak and fruity pineappley esters along with hints of barley. Light and simple but pleasant nevertheless.

The palate is a little watery with hints of smoke and estery fruit. Very lightly barley and nutty with a slightly spicy finish.

Carn Mor Inchgower Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Inchgower 2016 (5 year old) 47.5%

First Fill Bourbon Barrel/ Btl: 2022/ Tasted: May 2022

The nose is quite fresh and citric, almost salty with surprisingly subtle but noticeable vanilla oak. Slightly creamy and developing herbal and grassy notes. Late ginger, honey and gooseberry.

The palate opens with the toffee’d oak, toasted oak and sweet vanilla. Citrus, salt and a slightly astringent herbal note follows. Short and a little hot with lingering ginger biscuits and chocolate. In Conclusion. It’s not too bad for a 5 year old spirit.

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Inchgower 2008 (10 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Dist: 2008 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Feb 2019

The nose is a little hard and industrial with burnt caramel and sticky toffee. Hints of subtly spiced fruitcake follow along with raw cereal. Like the Glenburgie you have to ‘work’ this nose! There’s more sherry influence over time but it’s still a bit bland.

The palate mirror the nose, feinty and industrial with hints of sulphur (spirit) and drying herbal sherrywood tannins. Hints of malt and dried fruit come through on the middle but the bitterness is building! Austere, hot and slightly spicy finish with lingering burnt herbs and industrial barley.

Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Inchgower 2001 (19 year old) 53.1%

Bourbon Hogshead 303709/ Dist: Apr 2001 Btl: Apr 2019/ Tasted: Jun 2019

Aromas of damp straw, fairly mature barley as well as some industrial spirit notes. Lightly grassy with a touch of oak.

The palate opens with the mature barley and toffee’d oak. Slightly grassy with apricot and apple. Masked middle and finish with subtle spice notes and lingering grass.

With water the nose opens up to show granulated sugar coated orange. Less spirity now but simpler. On the palate there’s now some juicy Jaffa orange and the emphasis is on the mature barley notes. Straightforward but deep with the oak coming through on the finish along with a touch of lime conserve. In conclusion: It doesn’t have enough complexity to make it work £135.

Global Whisky Ltd Inchgower Tasting Notes

Auld Goonsy’s Inchgower 2008 (12 year old) 58.4%

American Hogshead 806929/ Dist: Jul 2008 Btl: 2021/ Tasted: Sept 2021

The nose is very raw and cereally with a touch of burnt caramel and that’s about it!

The palate is alcoholic and raw with hints of barley and citrus but the alcohol really dominates. Masked hit finish with a touch of green fruit.

Water makes little difference to the nose and the palate, it’s still very un-evolved.  Still short with a slightly metallic finish.

Mossburn Distillers Inchgower Tasting Notes

Mossburn Distillers No2 Inchgower 2007 (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Batch 25.0607.2

Dist: 2007 Btl: Nov 2017 / Tasted: Mar 2018

Full, pleasantly fragrant and barley’d aromas with hints of white fruit and subtle oak. Straightforward but the nose shows that it has a good depth and with time a touch of gooseberry and butter appears.

The palate opens with toffee and barley. Again fairly simple but there’s much more oak influence on the palate, although it does run out of steam by the finish. Subtle, fragrant barley middle with a touch of pear and lemon. Slightly tight and hot finish.

Edition Spirits Inchgower Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Inchgower 1997 (20 year old) 56.1%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0283/ DL14219

Dist: Jan 1997 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Nov 2017

A powerfully citric and vibrant nose with balancing castor sugar and barley. With time the oak becomes pleasantly sawdusty and the barley increasingly fragrant. Multi-layered and very impressive.

The palate displays more oak (toffee/ cream) to begin with hints of wood shavings, apricot and honey. The citrus arrives on the middle along with the minerality. The finish is darker than expected with sub-Armagnac-esque fruit, a touch of dark wood spice, liquorice and brown sugar to balance the citrus and bitter oak. Again very impressive.

Edition Spirits ‘The First Edition’ Inchgower 1997 (23 year old) 55.6%

Sherry Finished/ Code: EDI0630

Dist: Aug 1997 Btl: 2021/ Tasted: Feb 2021

That’s an intense nose. Baked apple, edgy herbal spice, cardamom, lime, gooseberry and subtle, duty pot pourri notes. Well balanced with late tangerine, manuka honey, oily barley and a touch of toasty oak.

The palate opens with edgy barley, baked apple, malt and dark spice. Less citric than the nose suggested with a touch of green fruit. Darkens on the middle as the malt and dark fruit come through although some sweet barley and creamy oak lighten the middle a little. Good length with citrus finally arriving. Lingering spicy, toasty oak.

Water emphasises the honey and baked fruit on the nose and also makes it feel more mature. The palate is a bit less complex but softer and fuller with the malt, dark honey and softer wood spices showing. Subtle citrus and green fruit finish.

Gleann Mor Inchgower Tasting Notes

Gleann Mor ‘A Rare Find’ Inchgower 2008 (8 year old) 60.2%

Refill Bourbon/ Dist: 2008 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: June 2017

A lovely, voluptuously oaked nose, but not overblown. There are plenty of big oak vanillins, but the barley and lithe, crisp white fruit balances. With time hints of grass and liquorice root.

The palate is soft and oaky to begin with but the barley, white fruit and hints of pepper come through. The oak becomes slightly creamy and toffee’d but it doesn’t dominate. The alcohol is so well integrated it’s barely noticeable and the finish is long with lingering barley and sweet oak.

Gleann Mor ‘A Rare Find’ Inchgower 2003 (14 year old) 55%

Refill Bourbon/ Dist: 2003 Btl:2017/ Tasted: Dec 2017

A pleasantly fruity and estery nose of pineapple, pear, apricot and melon. Hints of gristy and lightly herbal barley along with a touch of hyacinth.

The palate displays more dusty/ straw-like barley and less of the estery fruit. However, it is quite fruity with apricot and pineapple notes. The gorgeously creamy and mature-ish American oak comes through on the middle and although the finish is a little masked it does have a good, mouth-watering citrus and mineral finish.

Water makes the nose crisper and more citric (tangerine). Less estery and a little oilier. On the palate it emphasises the creamy ok and granulated sugar sweetness. In fact it’s a real sweetie now! A little drying on the finish with a subtle tangerine finish,

Gordon & MacPhails Inchgower Tasting Notes

Gordon & MacPhail ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ Inchgower 1993 (17 year old) 46%

Refill American Hogshead/ Dist: 1996 Btl: 2011/ Tasted: Dec 2015

The nose is thin, spirity and cardboardy with hints of lanolin and oak. Not exactly pristinely clean!

The palate is very much like the nose. Thin, hot, earthy and cardboardy with hints of creamy oak buried beneath the murk!

Hunter Laing Inchgower Tasting Notes

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Inchgower 2008 (11 year old) 50%

Bourbon/ Code: OMC2882/ HL16749

Dist Jan 2008 Btl: Apr 2019/ Tasted: July 2019

The nose is dense, heavy, malty, meaty and robust which are words I would normal not associate with Inchgower! Hints of dark roast nuts, oily vanilla and dark, dried macerated fruit follow. With time the oak shows some surprisingly dusty maturity and a touch of gingerbread and heather appears.

The palate is full and malty with plenty of dried fruit, gritty but smooth tannins and dark fruit. Very malty and meaty on the middle with hints of vanilla and building wood spice. Long, malty and spicy with lingering dried fruit.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Inchgower 1995 (18 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2314/ HL9983

Dist: Jan 1995 Btl: Aug 2013 / Tasted: Sept 2013

Light, nutty Oloroso/ Manzanilla cross aromas with sweet spice, liquorice, molasses and sultanas. Pleasantly complex with hints of tea leaves, black olives, light smoke, a touch of orange rind and toasted almonds. With time the aromas become increasingly oily with a touch of lanolin.

The palate is soft and nutty with more of an Oloroso sweetness. There are plenty of molasses, dark honey, raisins, dates and walnuts to get your teeth into and the dark spices build pleasantly on the middle. Good creamy-ish mouth-feel and a long, spicy dried fruit finish with the treacle really coating the mouth, but the alcohol balances leaving a lingering nuttiness. Seems a lot older than 18!

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Inchgower 1995 (18 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2314/ HL10920

Dist: Nov 1995 Btl: Sept 2014 / Tasted: Nov 2014

Very herbal and botanical aromas with lightly fragrant barley, toffee, cream and herbal spices. With time some old sherried wood notes appear along with hints of chocolate.

The palate opens with some stewed fruit, heavily toasted toffee, malt and nuts. The creamy toffee builds along with hints of dried fruit and sherry spices. Very long and a little dry with some wonderfully dusty spice.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Inchgower 1995 (19 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2473/ HL11402

Dist: Nov 1995 Btl: Mar 2015/ Tasted: May 2015

Sweet, lightly treacly aromas of herbal Oloroso along with sweet coffee, hickory, stewed sour apple and cinnamon.

The palate is quite sweet and herbal with biting wood spice, treacle, baked fruit and dried fruit. Very herbal on the middle with a good, if a little dry finish and lingering dried fruit and herbs.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Inchgower 1995 (20 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2549/ HL12301

Dist: Sept 1995 Btl: Feb 2016 / Tasted: June 2016

Quite deep and honeyed for a ‘gower with hints of straw, barley husks, sweet herbal sherry and coffee. The aromas display a good freshness and it is certainly not showing its age.

The palate opens with the dry, barley husks, straw and earthy fruit, followed by a touch of malt, coffee and again subtle sherry notes. It darkens on the middle as the malt kicks in along with notes of treacle and liquorice. Long and chewy, remaining malty with a fresh, citric and mineral finish. Very pleasant.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Inchgower 1997 (20 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2779/ HL14934

Dist: May 1997 Btl: Apr 2018/ Tasted: Aug 2018

The nose is quite citric – lemon sherbet and lime. Hints of gooseberry, barley and very subtle oak follow. The lack of oak character does make it feel rather austere and with time aromas of earth, coffee, damp spice and cat pee (really!) appear.

The palate is as austere and citric as the nose suggests. Faintly dirty with coffee, barley, sour, acidic fruit, under-ripe apricot and lime. Hot and hard finish with pretty much no sweetness to balance the citrus. Subtle peat smoke after-taste.

Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask Inchgower 1995 (21 year old) 50%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OMC2716/ HL14253

Dist: Oct 1995 Btl: Sept 2017 / Tasted: Nov 2017

The nose is a little hard with some fragrant barley and loads of gooseberry. Hints of sour fruit, vanilla and granulated sugar follow.

The palate is subtly mature with a prominent gooseberry character. Hints of barley and creamy oak on the middle with a long granulated sugar and sour fruit finish. It must have been aged in a very well used ex-Sherry butt as there’s practically no sherry influence at all.

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Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Inchgower 2008 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Quarter Cask Finished

Code: HEP0111/ Dist: Jan 2008 Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2015

Aromas of deep honey, coffee and sub rye-like herbs. Youthful barley follows with hints of baked apple and gooseberry. Given it was quarter cask finished I would have expected more oak.

Soft and straightforward on the palate, but it displays a good depth of barley, light honey, toffee and subtle baked fruit. Quite spicy on the middle. Long with the spices lingering and the herbal rye-like notes returning. Could this have been finished in ex-sherry quarters?

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Inchgower 2008(?) (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Dist: 2008(?) Btl: Oct 2015/ Code: HEP0110/ Tasted: Nov 2015

Deep and honeyed aromas with fragrant oak, barley, herbs and freshening zingy citrus. Lovely!

The palate shows more toffee’d oak, so it isn’t quite as fresh as the nose but it’s pleasantly honeyed and fragrantly oaked with the barley coming through on the middle. Good length with a slightly oiled and bitter spiced finish.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Inchgower 2008 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Dist: Jan 2008 Btl: Oct 2015/ Code: HEP0109/ Tasted: Nov 2015

The nose is deep and honeyed but not quite as fragrant as HEP0110. Still some beautiful, sub-tropical melon, apricot and citrus appear and it becomes very fresh as the citrus kicks in. With time slightly herbal and earthy.

Slightly oily on the palate with some buttery oak. Fleshy but not as tropical as the nose with hints of apricot and barley. Good, mouth-watering finish as the citrus arrives. Lingering notes of liquorice, coffee, malt, herbs and spice.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Inchgower 2008? (7 year old) 46%

Sherry Finished/ Code: HEP0179/ Dist: 2008? Btl: Aug 2016?/ Tasted: Sept 2016

Quite balsamic and a little spirity on the nose with some sweet barley, white fruit, herbs and cider apple.

The palate is earthy and coffee’d with again some balsamic notes. It’s not the cleanest of palates with a rather hot and spirity finish

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Inchgower 2008 (8 year old) 46%

Wine Finished/ Code: HEP0161/ Dist: Feb 2008 Btl: Mar 2016/ Tasted: Apr 2016

A nose of oily barley and chunky Bourbon oak. Quite toasty and vanilla’d with hints of rye-like herbs (the finishing cask?) Hints of earth and citrus follow but the aromas are predominantly oak dominated.

The palate shows plenty of creamy, vanilla oak with hints of barley and apricot but the oak is dominating. Slightly herbal middle with the oak begging to bitter. Medium length with some lingering spicy wood notes lingering and a herbal after-taste.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Inchgower 2008 (8 year old) 46%

Oloroso Sherry Butt Finished/ Code: HEP0202/ Dist: May 2008 Btl: 2017(?)/ Tasted: July 2017

The nose opens with slightly perfumed white fruits, crisp apple, honey, apricot and barley. There’s a faintly, almost red wine note but not a huge amount of sherry, in fact with time the waxy vanilla notes appear.

The palate is drier and a little tannic but the honey offsets. Fills out well on the middle as the apricot, mat, coffee and almost grain-like dried fruit arrives. Good depth and a lovely, soft, succulent, malty, slightly winey, dried fruit finish.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Inchgower 2008 (9 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: HEP0251/ Dist: Jan 2008 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

The nose is youthful, a little spirity and slightly peppery with nascent honey, barley and sweet oak.

The palate opens with subtle, but sweet barley, apricot and a touch of toffee. Fuller and a less spirity with a long, lightly spiced finish.

Hunter Laing Hepburns Choice Inchgower 2008 (9 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: HEP0252/ Dist: Jan 2008 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

A subtly mentholated and herbal nose with hints of cereal and honey.

There’s a bit more toffee’d oak on the palate with hints of cereal and citrus. Good length, if a little hot with lingering oak.