Origin: Lowlands (Scotland)
Type: Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 46.3%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry Amontillado
Chillfiltered: No
Added colouring: No
Owner: Inchdairne Distillery Ltd
Average price: € 90.00
Official website: www.inchdairniedistillery.com
There is excitement in the Lowlands, the Cinderella of Scotch whisky-producing regions, which in recent years has seen the emergence of several interesting and vibrant distilleries such as Lochlea, Daftmill and Lindores.
The idea for the Inchdairnie distillery was conceived in 2011 by Ian Palmer, who trained at Invergordon and Whyte & Mackay, and Scott Sneddon, who gained experience at Diageo, taking advantage of a demolished mill along the River Leven that once belonged, like the whole area, to Inchdairnie House. The company was initially called John Fergus & Co., in homage to the former owners of another mill on which they had initially considered building, before choosing a more favourable location. Once all the permits had been obtained, several plots of land purchased and the facilities built, the first distillation began in December 2015.
Initially, production was only for third parties (under the names StrathEnry and Finglassie), but the following year saw the addition of their own single malt, using only local barley from the county of Fife, differentiated according to seasonal harvests between spring/summer and autumn/winter, using different yeast strains and open-air fermentation. The seasonal fermentations are distilled at different strengths and then matured separately. In 2024, the first expansion took place, increasing production from two million litres per year to four million litres by doubling the number of stills and reaching a total of sixteen ageing warehouses. The goal is to bottle the first vintage with a declared age of 12 years under the name Inchdairnie in 2029.
But the distillery does not stop at single malts alone, deciding to experiment with different grains. In 2017, it began distilling RyeLaw (released in 2023), starting with a blend of malted barley and rye. Two years later, it began working with oats, the only example in Scotland, and finally, in 2021, it distilled a wheat ferment with sour mash, which will be released under the name PrinLaws.
Also in 2017, distillation began on their peated single malt, KinGlassie, released in mid-2025 after initial maturation for five years in refill ex-Bourbon casks and a further three years in ex-Amontillado sherry casks, which I’m tasting today.
Tasting Notes
The whisky’s strongly peaty nature is immediately apparent on the nose, intense and almost brutal in the initial whiffs of vegetal smoke between toasted juniper and foliage thrown into the fire, but it quickly softens into notes of nuts (pecans, toasted hazelnuts, macadamia nuts), maple syrup, malt, chestnut honey and cooked apples. A sprinkling of spices, including cinnamon and nutmeg, on a base of cedar wood and incense. Robust.
Maple syrup and wood are the first to appear on the palate, accompanied by black pepper, ginger and Christmas spices that go well with the collection of cooked apples, nuts, sweet liquorice and honey that echoes the aroma. Moderately creamy, with hints of cola and chinotto together with a touch of chestnut cake, while smoke is the common thread, always vegetal, with a distinct salty inflection in the finish. Blackberry jam in the background.
The finish is quite long, spicy and mellow, with notes of burnt wood, liquorice, overcooked apple strudel, chinotto and salt.
Review: Young but well-constructed, made to please and indeed pleasing (at least to me), with enough nuances to offer an unpredictable and enjoyable dram that could hold some nice surprises over time.
Vote: 84/100