Exploring Keith and Buckie - Inchgower - Justerini & Brooks

Keith is known as the friendly town but it is also an amalgamation of three smaller towns and the jury is still out on which one is the friendliest. Keith is considered to be the start of the Malt Whisky Trail and as such, leads to it being a very popular destination. You could, if you were on a tour, travel north ten miles and instead discover the quieter town of Buckie.

Buckie is a wonderful Scottish coastal town and is mainly known for fishing. The town hosts Inchgower, a distillery that was formed using equipment from Tochineal, a lost Scotch whisky distillery.

Inchgower was at one point purchased by Buckie Council making it the only council in Scotland to have ever owned a distillery. Moved and renamed, rescued and preserved, Inchgower became more than just a distillery for its founders and his loyal workers. It was an idea – a reaction to increasing land prices, and a commitment to Single Malt Scotch Whisky – and one of the only distilleries to inspire a poem.

Inchgower is a confusingly delicious coastal malt, in many ways, compares to the inland Speyside malts as does Manzanilla to inland sherries – cleaner, more assertive, less elegant perhaps, dry and fruity, with a crisp, savoury tang, that reflects its coastal upbringing. This 27 year old 2018 Special Release conveys just that - it showcases the fruity, salty spirit that it is said can only be achieved due to its coastal location, balanced by dark chocolate and dry spice on the finish.