Inchgower 11 Years Old 2013 Cask #3503 (Cane And Grain)

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. Cane And Grain selected this single cask, distilled in 2013, and released it at 11 years old in its Reserve range. Single cask 3503 gave 337 bottles, released for Germany.

The distillery's spirit is built for body rather than elegance, nutty and waxy with a coastal salt note unusual for Speyside. This bottling matured in an ex-Bourbon cask.

Bottled at 46%, the refill ex-Bourbon oak works gently, vanillin reading as vanilla and furfural as a faint toasted almond. At 11 years the wood and the salty, nutty spirit are roughly in balance.