Inchgower 17 Year Old 1959 Cadenhead Dumpy

No, it's not a typo. This Inchgower was indeed distilled in 1959 and bottled after 17 years. That was in 1977, an important year for Star Wars fans, but this aside. In the meantime, the malt has been in the bottle for two and a half times as long as it has been in the cask. Liquid history? You bet.

Ah, that's a real old school nose. Metallic, mineral, vegetal, chemical... all sounds terrible, but is oh so good in the nose. This is nicely complemented by fresh notes of lemon and lime, stewed pears and apples, hay and a nice touch of mint. We should certainly not forget a hint of smoke. Marzipan or putty? I am in dubio. Delicious, there's no doubt about that.

The body is feather-light and the malt ultra-clean. Big smoky start – yup, peat! – followed by grapefruit, orange and a lot of floral notes. Nice and minty now, though. And nicely peppered and with a salty edge. Reminds me for a moment of a beautiful armagnac, really.

The finish is surprisingly long, smoky, bittersweet on peat, licorice, lemon and mint.

Old Bottle Effect doesn't always have to be disappointing, believe me. What a rollercoaster this was! With a big thank you to my whisky buddy Benny who gave me this devine dram.

Find where to buy Inchgower whisky