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TRI CARRAGH INCHMURRIN 8 YEAR OLD, 2ND FILL PALO CORTADO FINISH
In March 2026, The Whiskey Lab brought its first tour group to Scotland. Six people who love whisky, given access to distilleries, warehouses, and private tastings most will never see. One of those tastings was with Tri Carragh, where the group sat down blind with five casks. No names. No ages. No cask details. Just liquid.
The vote was unanimous. One cask stood out immediately. Bold. Full-bodied. Tropical fruit and vanilla wrapped in something deep and savoury that several people in the room mistook for peat. It had that much flavor. When the cards were flipped, it was the youngest cask on the table: an 8 year old Inchmurrin finished in 2nd fill Palo Cortado. Nobody expected that.
Why this cask surprised everyone
The Palo Cortado finish is the secret. This specific cask previously held the award-winning Craigellachie 11 Year Old, meaning it already had the character of a quality first fill when it received the Inchmurrin spirit. At 2nd fill, the Palo Cortado delivers its savory depth, nuttiness, and dry complexity without overwhelming Inchmurrin's naturally tropical, fruity character. The group consensus was that 1st fill would have been too much. This was the perfect balance.
Some of us thought it was peated. It was not. That is the Palo Cortado talking. Palo Cortado is the rarest style of sherry, starting life like a fino, developing like an amontillado, and gaining the body of an oloroso. It bridges all three. The result in the glass is a depth and weight that reads like smoke without any smoke being present.
Distillery profile, Loch Lomond (Inchmurrin)
- Loch Lomond operates one of the most versatile distilleries in Scotland, producing multiple malt styles from different still types under one roof.
- Inchmurrin is the distillery's unpeated, light, and fruity style, produced on traditional swan-neck pot stills. Named after the largest island on Loch Lomond.
- The spirit character is naturally tropical, fruity, and sweet, making it an ideal canvas for finishing casks that add weight without masking the distillery's brightness.
- TWL's tour group visited Loch Lomond and saw the science behind Inchmurrin's production firsthand. Seeing how it is made made the blind selection even more meaningful.
Cask profile, 2nd Fill Palo Cortado
Palo Cortado is the rarest and most mysterious style of sherry. It begins biological aging under flor like a fino, then the flor dies and it shifts to oxidative aging like an oloroso. The result is a wine with the delicacy of amontillado and the richness of oloroso in the same glass.
This specific Palo Cortado cask previously held the award-winning Craigellachie 11 Year Old, giving it a proven track record before the Inchmurrin spirit went in. At 2nd fill, it adds dry nuttiness, savoury depth, and gentle tannic grip without drowning the spirit in cask influence.
22 months was enough. The integration is complete. The cask and spirit speak as one.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Tri Carragh, bottled exclusively for The Whiskey Lab |
| Whisky style | Single malt Scotch whisky |
| Region | Highland |
| Distillery | Loch Lomond (Inchmurrin) |
| Age | 8 years |
| ABV | 58.9% |
| Volume | 700 ml |
| Initial Maturation cask | Refil Ex-Bourbon |
| Finish cask | 2nd Fill Palo Cortado, 22 months |
| Palo Cortado provenance | Previously held award-winning Craigellachie 11yr |
| Distillation date | November 15, 2017 |
| Bottling date | 2026 |
| Cask strength | Yes |
| Non-chill filtered | Yes |
| Natural colour | Yes |
| Selected by | TWL Scotland Tour Group, March 2026 |
