Inchgower 11-year-old JW

Inchgower is a relatively lesser-known single malt among whisky enthusiasts, though independent bottlings occasionally appear. The new-make spirit's nutty, waxy character develops into a spicy, rich whisky after decades in bourbon casks. To avoid excessive feints, the distillery cuts the spirit at a maximum of 70% ABV, while aiming for a heavy, complex flavor profile that results in a new-make average of around 55% ABV. These characteristics make Inchgower (alongside Blair Athol) an ideal malt base for Bell's blended Scotch whisky. Bell's remains one of the UK's most popular and best-selling whiskies, ranking as the world's 11th best-selling Scotch with annual sales of 25 million bottles. Located south of the Moray Firth on the A98 near Buckie, the distillery is easily spotted between Elgin and Banff. The facility features an 8.4-ton stainless steel semi-lauter mash tun, six Oregon pine washbacks with fermentation times of 48-53 hours, and two stills. Production was temporarily halted from June to November 2017 to replace five malt silos with three larger ones. In 2019, the distillery operated on a five-day week, alternating between short (40-45 hours) and long (90-92 hours) fermentations, with an annual production target of 2 million liters. Beyond Diageo's official 14-year-old Inchgower in the Flora & Fauna series, other limited single malt releases exist. In autumn 2018, Diageo released a 27-year-old Inchgower as part of a special collectors' series.