Inchgower 22 Years Old 1996 Cask #DL 11920 (Old Particular)

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. Douglas Laing, a Glasgow bottling house, selected this single cask, distilled in 1996, from the distillery's United Distillers and early Diageo era, and released it at 22 years old in its Old Particular range. Single cask DL 11920 gave 610 bottles, released for Germany.

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 Oloroso sherry cask.

Bottled at its natural cask strength of 51.5%, without dilution, the Oloroso sherry cask layers raisin and fig from its melanoidins over a drying, nutty oak grip. At 22 years the long maturation has deepened the spirit, the oak adding weight to its savoury core. The recorded notes run to a sherry note, cocoa, dried fruit, honey, a nutty note and seasoned oak.