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Inchgower 16 Year
51.7% ABV Speyside 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon
$145.00 | Sold out
Tasting Profile
Oak & Spice
Intensity

TRI CARRAGH INCHGOWER 16 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

1st Fill Bourbon Cask · Distilled February 2008 · 221 Bottles
Region Speyside Distillery Inchgower Age 16 years ABV 51.7% Cask 1st Fill Bourbon Outturn 221 bottles

Speyside's Hidden Star

A Distillery You Know Without Knowing It

Inchgower was founded in 1871 near Buckie on the Moray coast, and for most of its existence it has been a blender's secret weapon. Nearly every drop has gone into Bell's and other household-name blends, which is why almost nobody drinks Inchgower as a single malt even though they have been drinking it for decades.

Independent bottlings are how the rest of us get to meet the distillery on its own terms. This 16 year old single cask, fully matured in a 1st fill bourbon barrel, is Inchgower with nothing in the way.

Inchgower is one of Jay's personal favorite distilleries, and this cask is why. The house style is a tightrope walk: sweet and fruity on one side, herbal and spicy on the other, balanced by a spirit weight that refuses to let either side dominate. It is a whisky that rewards paying attention, and there is not much of it on the shelf in the United States.

Distilled February 17, 2008. Bottled at 51.7%. Single cask. 221 bottles.

Distillery profile, Inchgower

  • Founded in 1871 in Buckie, on the Moray Firth coastline at the northern edge of Speyside.
  • Owned by Diageo and operated almost exclusively for blending, with the vast majority of production going into Bell's.
  • The distillate is unusual for Speyside: a salty, herbal edge layered under orchard fruit and vanilla sweetness, likely shaped by its coastal location and long fermentation.
  • Because so little is released as single malt, independent bottlings like this one are the primary way to experience Inchgower in its unblended form.

Cask profile, 1st fill ex-bourbon

Sixteen years in a 1st fill bourbon barrel is the long way to do it. First fill wood is the most active a cooper can offer, still alive with vanillin, coconut, and charred sugar from its American whiskey years. Rushing a spirit through it is easy. Letting it sit, year after year, takes conviction.

This cask delivers exactly what first fill bourbon is supposed to do for a spirit this expressive: layers of vanilla and caramel over tropical fruit, with the herbal and spice complexity of Inchgower still clearly present underneath. The cask amplifies. It does not cover.

Tasting notes
Nose
Vanilla leads, rich and confident. Buttercream, fresh peach, and orange zest open up around it, with fresh-cut grass lifting the fruit and a hint of toffee apple underneath.
Palate
Silky and inviting. Pronounced vanilla up front, then cantaloupe melon dusted with Demerara sugar, warmed by cinnamon and green cardamom. A splash of water pulls it into dessert territory: vanilla icing over sponge cake, vanilla fudge, Caramac, and ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce.
Finish
Medium to long. Fennel, cocoa powder, gentle oak spice, and a whisper of soft leather. Complex without being busy, every note holding its place.
A distillery that built other people's empires, finally given the single cask it has always deserved.
Specification Details
Brand Tri Carragh
Whisky style Single malt Scotch whisky
Region Speyside, Scotland
Distillery Inchgower
Age 16 years
ABV 51.7%
Volume 700 ml
Cask type 1st Fill Bourbon (full maturation)
Distillation date February 17, 2008
Outturn 221 bottles
Non-chill filtered Yes
Natural colour Yes

The Whiskey Lab's Quality Commitments

  • Single Cask & Small Batch: Ensuring a unique profile for each release.
  • Natural Colour & Non-Chill Filtered: Preserving the authentic character and purity of the whisky.
  • Honest Storytelling: Every cask profile, every tasting note, written by people who actually tasted the whisky.