As promised I’m going down the list of whiskies I tasted at the Whisky in Leiden festival. And while doing that I can’t skip over their official festival bottling. They actually had two, but I got to try the 14-year-old Inchgower.
When I saw this bottle on the stand I said to myself; if it tastes halve as good as the artwork looks… this is going to be an amazing dram. So, let’s find out how it holds up!
Tasting Notes: Inchgower 14-year-old “Whisky in Leiden” festival bottling
(finished in a tawny port barrique).
Stats:
ABV: 55% (110 proof)
Age: 14 years old
Distillery: Inchgower Distillery
Owned by: Diageo
Category: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Chill Filtered: Unknown
Natural Colour: Unknown
Nose:
There’s an immediate sense of being at the shore. There’s an obvious sea spray in here, mixed with driftwood and seaweed. Not the kind of sea smell you’d get from a perfume or air freshener, no this is raw storm swept shore. Rough, wild, and dangerous… but beautiful.
Palate:
The palate seems to have wandered inland. Here you find treebark, earth and a bitter oak. But there’s also a thick layer of honey, which smooths it all out. It’s truly quite the contrast from the nose.
Finish:
There’s a very long finish to this one. It’s very sweet but there’s a sharpness to it as well. It’s not the wood or earth notes that you get from the palate, it’s more like an espresso with too much beans in the portafilter.
Verdict:
I found this dram to be quite exhilarating. Providing you with a sense of conquering a storm and then taking a walk through the woods afterwards, seeing all the destruction and then going home to a warm place with a hot cup of tea with some honey in it. All in all, I found it very pleasant. There are a bunch of off putting notes in here though if you’re partial to them. For example, my fiancée is still baffled that I can like a whisky after just describing it as having a driftwood note. But I like it, and with me many. I think for a 14-year-old whisky at 55% ABV it’s also very fairly priced, the festival organisers – whiskysite.nl – still have a couple in stock for 65 euro. All in all, a very satisfactory festival bottling.
Rating:
86/100
Value:
B
Click here to learn more about how I come up with my tasting notes and how I determine rating and value.
