Inchgower 7 Years Old 2016 Càrn Mòr Strictly Limited (Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers)

On the Cromarty side of the Moray Firth, Inchgower distils a coastal, savoury malt that has fed Bell's and other Diageo blends for decades. Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers bottled this, distilled in 2016, and released it at 7 years old in its Càrn Mòr - Strictly Limited range. The outturn was 1639 bottles, released for the Netherlands.

Inchgower's four stills carry steeply angled lyne arms that hold back the heavier, oilier vapours, part of why the malt comes out nutty, waxy and faintly saline. This bottling matured in an Oloroso sherry cask.

Bottled at its natural cask strength of 47.5%, without dilution, the Oloroso wood gives dried fruit, melanoidins reading as fig and raisin with tannins adding a walnut dryness. At under ten years the cask has had only a short time to work, so Inchgower's own salty, waxy spirit still leads.