Two Inchgower 1991 bottlings today. When independent bottlers share a cask, one of them bottles it and sells part of the bottles which are then labeled by both. In this case the colour of the cap foil is identical.
Inchgower 24 yo 1991 (51,8%, Sansibar 2015, bourbon cask, 132 btl.)
Inchgower 24 yo 1991 (51,8%, Sansibar 2015, bourbon cask, 132 btl.)Nose: initially a bit closed. Malty notes and muesli. Dusty grains. The alcohol seems to block some aroma. More fruits after a while, garden fruits like pears, apples and peaches. Grassy notes, light chalky hints too.
Mouth: again some mineral and chalky notes at first, then overtaken by ripe fruits. Apples, pears and greengages. Lots of eau-de-vie notes. Picks up spices along the way (pepper, ginger) and mineral notes. The fruity aftertaste reminds me of some (younger) Irish malt whiskey (very light maracuja).
Finish: medium long, loosing its fruity notes and fading on spices and mocha.
Around € 170.
Score: 82/100
Inchgower 23 yo 1991 (51,8%, Liquid Library 2014, refill hogshead, 242 btl.)
Inchgower 23 yo 1991 (51,8%, Liquid Library 2014, refill hogshead, 242 btl.)Nose: maybe a bit sweeter and fruitier, maybe not. Same mix of grainy notes, common fruits, hay and subtle minerals. Touches of Haribo. Maybe identical whisky (although the age is different) anyway so far very hard to set apart.
Mouth: rather more spirity at first, or make that more eau-de-vie-like. More punch, more spices, or so it seems. Nice unripe pineapple, then some lemon zest and these minerals. Slightly more oak perhaps, which makes it hotter and more closed. But very tiny differences, if any.
Finish: same.
Around € 130.
Score: 82/100
We’ve had some excellent old Inchgower (1974 and 1982 spring to mind) but these two don’t come anywhere close. I see a couple of really nice touches but overall they’re rather closed and spirity. Probably identical (or very very similar) whiskies.