Inchgower – Speyside’s hidden gem by the sea
On the rugged north-east coast of Scotland, near the fishing village of Buckie in Banffshire, lies the Inchgower whisky distillery. Its founding in 1871 was not a decision born of vision, but one of sheer necessity. Alexander Wilson had previously run the Tochieneal distillery in Speyside. When the landowner doubled the rent in 1870, this became unsustainable for Wilson. He moved to the coast, built the new Inchgower distillery and fitted it out with the original equipment from the old distillery.
The following decades were characterised by frequent changes of ownership . The Wilson family ran the distillery for 65 years, until the company went bankrupt in the 1930s. In 1936, Buckie Town Council purchased the distillery, but just two years later it was sold to Arthur Bell & Sons for 3,000 pounds. Under the Bells’ ownership, Inchgower underwent extensive renovation in 1966 and was expanded to include two further stills. Today, the distillery belongs to the global conglomerate Diageo and remains an indispensable component of the famous blends Bell’s, White Horse and Johnnie Walker.
Inchgower epitomises the maritime-influenced Speyside style. Its spicy and salty aroma is the result of a special mashing process carried out at a higher temperature. The steeply angled stills ensure that the heavier components of the distillate are retained. The water used in production comes from springs in the Menduff Hills. The whisky is characterised by a fresh and aromatic character, with notes of citrus fruits, vanilla and a subtle salty breeze.
Official bottlings from Inchgower are a rarity: less than one per cent of the whisky produced is bottled as a single malt. The best-known original bottling is the 14-year-old single malt from the Flora & Fauna series. Far more common are bottlings by independent bottlers such as Douglas Laing, Old Particular or That Boutique-y Whisky Company. The distillery itself is not open to visitors, which only adds to its air of mystery. Inchgower remains a quiet but fascinating hero of the Scottish whisky world – an insider’s tip for anyone who wants to taste the salt of the North Sea in their glass.
Contents: 0.7 Liter (€564.29* / 1 Liter)