Inchgower 2014 D4C (Dram 4 Charity (D4C))

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. Dram 4 Charity (D4C) selected this single cask, distilled in 2014, and released it at 10 years old in its The Fusion of Heritage and Modern Art range. Single cask D4C-1 gave 60 bottles, released for Belgium.

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 ex-Bourbon cask.

Bottled at its natural cask strength of 52%, without dilution, the refill ex-Bourbon oak works gently, vanillin reading as vanilla and furfural as a faint toasted almond. At 10 years the wood and the salty, nutty spirit are roughly in balance.