Finglassie Lowland Smoke (The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd.)

Finglassie is the name InchDairnie uses for the peated single malt it releases through independent bottlers, the smoky counterpart to its unpeated Strathenry trade malt. The Vintage Malt Whisky Co Ltd. bottled this release with no age statement, for its The Cooper's Choice range. This single cask, number 411, yielded 264 bottles, released for the Netherlands.

InchDairnie was built in 2015 by Ian Palmer to chase flavour through unusual equipment, milling its cereals on a hammer mill and mashing on a Meura filter rather than a traditional tun. Peated malt gives this one a smoky backbone the unpeated Strathenry side lacks. Matured in new charred American oak with a finish in a Sauternes wine cask.

Bottled at its natural cask strength of 54.5%, without dilution, the new charred oak drives vanillin for a strong vanilla note and oak lactones for coconut, while furfural adds a toasted, almost bready edge and fresh tannins give grip, and the Sauternes finish layers honeyed apricot and candied citrus over the oak. Guaiacol and related phenols carry the smoke, with the medicinal edge that peated Lowland spirit shows young. Recorded bottle notes run to citrus, dried fruit, leather, a nutty note, an oily texture and dried hay. Youthful underneath, the smoke lengthens the finish and keeps it dry.