Inchgower 13 Years Old 2011 Cask #810499 (BB&R)

Inchgower sits on the Moray Firth coast outside Buckie, a Speyside distillery in name whose malt is salty and savoury in a way the region's usually are not. Berry Bros & Rudd, the London wine and spirits merchant, selected this single cask, distilled in 2011, and released it at 13 years old. Single cask 810499 gave 96 bottles, released for the Netherlands.

A quick mashing regime and a warmer second water give Inchgower the savoury, saline character that earns it the Manzanilla of Speyside nickname. This bottling matured in an ex-Bourbon cask.

Bottled at its natural cask strength of 57.3%, without dilution, American oak from the ex-Bourbon cask supplies vanilla and coconut, with eugenol adding a touch of clove. At 13 years the wood and the salty, nutty spirit are roughly in balance.