Inchgower

Inchgower is a single malt distillery located on the North Sea coast of Speyside, close to the town of Buckie. It is well known and highly regarded as a distillery that supplies whisky for blend Scotch brands. Inchgower has a long history with Bell's in particular and remains an important ingredient within it today. Single malt releases from Inchgower are rare as a result.

The single malt from Inchgower is known for its distinct coastal style. This mixes spicy and salty notes with crisp green fruits, such as apple and pear, and prominent nutty characteristics. The combination makes the whisky highly expressive and perfect for blending purposes. Inchgower is known as the 'Manzanilla of Speyside', referencing the sherry variety known for its coastal and briny character.

Inchgower is a key component in the popular Bell's blended Scotch and is also used within the Johnnie Walker range and numerous other Diageo blends.

Only one distillery bottling of Inchgower is regularly available - the 12 year old. This forms part of Diageo's Flora & Fauna range, which showcases some of the company's lesser-known distilleries. Limited editions are rare with the most recent a 27 year old that formed part of the annual Diageo Special Releases in 2018. Independent bottlers are an alternative route with Signatory often releasing single cask or small batch malts from the distillery.

The annual capacity of Inchgower is 3.2 million litres. The distillery operates seven days per week and has an 8.4 tonne mash tun. They run 19 mashes per week. Each mash is deliberately short and has a particularly high second water temperature to speed up sugar extraction. This produces cloudy wort to give their final spirit depth and character. The wort is then given a short fermentation time of 48 hours for extra fruitiness, nuttiness and crispness. There are two pairs of copper pot stills (2x wash and 2x spirit). Water for production is taken from the Minduff Burn. 

Inchgower was founded in 1871 by Alexander Wilson & Co. and is the most northern distillery in the Speyside region. The company would go on to run Inchgower for over 60 years until they were declared bankrupt in 1936. The American period of Prohibition (1920-1933) and the resulting slump in Scotch whisky sales were a key factor. Operations at the distillery were taken over by Buckie Town Council so as to save it from closure. This is one of the few cases where a local authority has run a distillery in Scotland.

In 1938 Inchgower was sold to Arthur Bell & Sons. Here began the long historical association with the Bell's brand that remains today. The stronghold for Bell's is the UK where it sells 25 million bottles per year. Arthur Bell & Sons became part of the Guinness group in 1985 and later became one of the founding companies of United Distillers in 1987. A decade later United Distillers would evolve into the modern-day Diageo, who is the current owner.

Inchgower is one of the lesser-known but most strategic distilleries in their portfolio.