Invergordon Distillery, established in 1959 and producing whisky since 1961, stands as a key Highland single grain whisky producer in the northernmost part of Scotland’s grain whisky region. It ranks among only six dedicated single grain distilleries in Scotland and supplies spirit crucial for blended whiskies, especially for Whyte & Mackay’s portfolio. The distillery crafts its whisky using a unique mash bill of maize, malted and unmalted barley, and Scottish wheat, combining this with pure water from Loch Glass and massive column stills that create a smooth, refined spirit. Because Invergordon primarily contributes to blends, official single grain bottlings remain rare and mostly appear through independent bottlers. Here, we review three indy Invergordon aged over 40 years: one from That Boutique-y Whisky Company and two from Scott’s Selection.
Invergordon 43-year-old Batch 11 That Boutique-y Whisky Company (2017) Review
We begin with an Invergordon Batch 11 from That Boutique-y Whisky Company. In 2017, TBWC bottled this Invergordon at 43 years old, at 48.2% ABV, without adding colouring or chill filtration. The release likely comes from a single cask, as it comprises only 186 bottles, all in the classic Boutique-y 50 cl bottle size (except for their core range, which uses 70 cl bottles).
Colour:
Burnished.
Nose:
Neat: The nose shows toffee and caramel pie, with hints of cinnamon and cloves. You can also detect subtle citrus fruits, giving it a slightly bourbon-like character.
Palate:
Neat: The palate offers coffee sweetened with vanilla sugar, accompanied by cinnamon and cloves. You also taste some wood chunks, along with plenty of caramel, toffee, and pralines.
Finish:
A little pepper joins the cinnamon and cloves on the finish, with vanilla again, toasted wood and coconut shavings.
Comments:
This is a really nice Invergordon, not overly complex and a bit mono-dimensional, but lovely nonetheless. And just for that label, absolutely brilliant, I had to buy this bottle because of that! I invite you to follow Emily Chappell, the artist who does all Boutique-y labels, by the way.
Rating: 7/10
Invergordon 1964 47-year-old Scott’s Selection (2011) Review
We continue with the first of two Invergordon 1964 bottled by Scott’s Selection: a 47-year-old bottled in 2011. I unfortunately don’t know which type of cask was used nor the outturn, but I do know it was bottled at cask strength, 43.8% ABV.
Colour:
Ginger.
Nose:
Neat: The nose reveals buttered popcorn and sour cider apples, with a noticeable amount of oak. You can also detect a little caramel, treacle, and vanilla concentrate.
Palate:
Neat: The palate delivers plenty of dark caramel, along with the return of those sour cider apples, vanilla, toasted oak, salted caramel popcorn, and Turkish delights. There is also pleasant tartness and pepperiness. The mouthfeel feels slightly waxy and much thicker than you would expect from the ABV, due to its natural (low) cask strength.
Finish:
The finish combines wood and tart apples with plenty of pepper and burnt caramel. It has a medium length.
Comments:
Far from tired despite the age, the tart cider apples bring a refreshing layer to this otherwise classic ol’ Invergordon, not as sweet as the Boutique-y. Really good, the waxy mouthfeel and the tartness really lift this Invergordon up.
Rating: 7.5/10
Invergordon 1964 48-year-old Scott’s Selection (2012) Review
To conclude this session, we look at another 1964 Invergordon, which Scott’s Selection bottled in 2012 at 48 years old. This whisky spent time in a port cask, either for full maturation or finishing, I unfortunately don’t know, and the cask produced 245 bottles at a natural cask strength of 42.3% ABV. Like the other bottlings we reviewed today, this one has sold out.
Colour:
Ginger (slightly darker, in fact, than the ginger on this pic)
Nose:
Neat: When poured, the whisky gives off an intense aroma straight away. I notice vinous notes and red fruits, especially raspberries, along with caramel and vanilla. There are also hints of paint thinner, varnish, and cement, as well as demerara sugar and wood chips.
Palate:
Neat: On the palate, the whisky feels slightly waxy and quite supple. There are caramel and light wood tannins at first. With a second sip, I pick up dark chocolate and an unexpected smoky note. The flavour then becomes more vinous, with the port influence coming through, bringing more red fruits, demerara sugar, and spices such as clove, treacle, and cinnamon, along with coffee and pepper.
Finish:
The finish feels peppery, but the sweetness from the American oak and port cask remains, with notes of vanilla, caramel, and raspberry jam.
Comments:
The port cask gives this Invergordon an extra layer, but I find it difficult to rank it against the other two. All three whiskies show strong qualities of their own. I will give this 48-year-old 1964 Invergordon from Scott’s Selection a score of 7.5, in line with the others. It stands out as a very good whisky.