Inchgower 29 Years Old 1989 (The Whisky Agency)

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. The Whisky Agency bottled this, distilled in 1989, from the distillery's United Distillers and early Diageo era, and released it at 29 years old. The outturn was 274 bottles.

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 49.2%, without dilution, the refill ex-Bourbon oak works gently, vanillin reading as vanilla and furfural as a faint toasted almond. At 29 years the long maturation has deepened the spirit, the oak adding weight to its savoury core.