12-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
A Scotch whisky distillery that's not afraid to do things differently
When visiting new distilleries, the most fascinating parts to learn about are the things that set them apart from the others, as the production process can be fairly straightforward once you've heard it simplified and explained a couple of times.
This was my first visit to InchDairnie, and there are certainly quite a few things that they have decided to do in their own way, rather than keep it traditional.
The distillery uses a hammer mill and a mash filter, which is rarely seen at whisky distilleries in Scotland, as it is expensive equipment and traditionally, distilleries use mash tuns instead.
The whole production process at InchDairnie is essentially designed around the mash filter and also allows them to use different types of cereals, where rye was incorporated early on. InchDairnie don't just do things differently to be different, but because it is what works for them and the way they want to produce their spirits.
Since 2015, they have been distilling at their site in Fife, near the small village of Kinglassie, and finally, their first single malt is ready to be released into the world.
It is, however, not just one bottling being released, but two. First, we have the KinGlassie Double Matured which is a heavily peated 8-year-old single malt, initially matured for five years in ex-bourbon casks before spending another three years in ex-Amontillado casks from Montilla.
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The Fife-grown barley has been peated to 50ppm using peat from the Scottish mainland. The nose is fruity with plums and dates which blends together with cloves and a sweet florality that slightly hides a toasted bonfire note.
On the palate, the peat takes a step forward and presents quite a sweet and fruity smoke that feels chewy, and the finish leaves you with the memory of cloves and robust oak.
With the addition of water, there are more toasted malt notes. I found this to be a lovely whisky with a good balance of smoke to spirit and cask character, and on the day I tried them both, it was my favourite out of the two.
Secondly, we have the KinGlassie Raw which is a powerhouse of smoke compared to the softer Double Matured.
This whisky has also matured for eight years, but it has spent its entire maturation time in ex-bourbon casks to allow for the smoke to be highlighted. The nose is malty with a charred character, but still carries some of the florality that I found on the first whisky.
The palate has more charred malt and tastes very similar to the peated barley we got to try a sample of during the distillery tour. The addition of water toned down the barley notes and amped up the peat. I think this would be a lovely release for anyone who is a "peat head" and enjoys powerful and smoky whiskies.
As I've already focused so much on the new releases I wanted to also highlight another whisky from InchDairnie which I've really enjoyed. So my whisky of the week is the InchDairnie RyeLaw. This whisky consists of 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley, is distilled in a Lomond Hill still
The nose is quite malty, and I also get notes of toast, brioche, charred orange peels and cloves.
The palate is fresh with a lovely mix of green fruits, savoury spices and rye bread. There is honey and oak in the mix as well and the rye spice lingers on the finish.
If you usually drink single malts and would like to try something different, or perhaps if you are a rye whiskey fan looking to get into single malts, this would be a very interesting release for you to try. I think it's an excellent whisky that suits many different occasions.
