Founders' Reserve 2026/1 - Inchgower 9yo

THE DISTILLERY

Founded in 1871 by Alexander Wilson & Company in Buckie (Speyside), the Inchgower distillery has changed hands several times over the course of the last 150 years. In 1936 the distillery filed for bankruptcy and was acquired by the Buckie city council and then resold to Arthur Bell & Sons. Over the course of the following decades the new owners proceeded to modernize the distillery with new equipment and production capacity. In 1986 the distillery changed hands again as Arthur Bell & Sons was acquired by Guinness.

Inchgower has historically been among the most “autonomous” distilleries that included its own malting floor and cooperage which distinguished it from many other distilleries in the region. Once Guinness was bought by Diageo, Inchgower’s operations were streamlined resulting in the outsourcing of the malting process and procurement of casks.

All of the stills have a 'pear' shape, with extremely wide spherical lids and tall, conical necks. The flat top of the still results in a slightly higher degree of reflux, as the progress of the vapours is not as gradual and progressive than it is with the necks of the more common 'Speyside'-style still.

As is the case with many Speyside distilleries, Inchgower’s production has been used mostly for blended whiskies (e.g. Bell’s) with few exceptions such as a release from the Flora & Fauna collection.

THE WHISKY

This expression of Inchgower has been aged for 9 years in a sherry cask before being bottled at cask strength.

On the nose the whisky releases notes of preserved and dried fruits including sultanas, orange peel, walnuts, sundried plums and figs. In addition, notes of hibiscus flowers can also be felt.

On the palate the sundried fruits explode together with cloves, white pepper, gingerbread and balsamic notes.

The finish is medium in duration and evolves into leather, orange marmalade and dried mushrooms.