Inchmurrin 2003 14 Years Old ‘Executive’ (WhiskyNerds)

Remember those two delicious Inchmurrin from the WhiskyNerds? They sold out in an instant, so you might well have missed it. But don’t worry, they’re back with another Inchmurrin 2003 14 Years Old. Dubbed the ‘Executive’ bottling, this is a vatting of both their sherry and bourbon matured Inchmurrin.

This vatting is based on a concept Bram and Floris (aka the WhiskyNerds) came up with when creating a delicious home made blend of Glendronach 1972 and BenRiach 1976. The first being a classic example older style sherried whisky, and the latter a great example of über fruity, well-aged Scotch.

When tasting cask samples of Inchmurrin, they discovered how fruity the Inchmurrin distillate is. Why is that? Produced in straight-necked pot stills with rectifying plates, the Inchmurrin spirit flows of the stills at 85 percent alcohol by volume. Lots of reflux and a long fermentation (over 90 hours) secure a fruit juice kind of profile for Inchmurrin.

So they bought two casks, one ex-bourbon matured and one heavily sherried. Half of each cask was bottled and released a few months ago, and the rest was married together in a refill sherry cask. The result is finally here.

Inchmurrin 2003 14 Years Old ‘Executive’ (54,6%, OB for WhiskyNerds, C#171)

Nose: Supremely fruity. Mango, pink grapefruit and lemon peel, softened by a touch of vanilla and honey. But the sherry influence is evident too, with cocoa powder and an array of fruits (strawberries and blackcurrants, for example). It truly is a wonderful blend of aromas of the two earlier releases.
Taste: Crazy fruity again. Lots of grapefruit and nectarines, but the lemon also makes a comeback. While there’s less bourbon matured Inchmurrin in here, it does seem to have quite a big influence. Might be the extremely fruity distillate though. There is however some milk chocolate, licorice, raspberries and cherry syrup, as well as a mild spiciness.
Finish: Fruit juice with a hint of chocolate… Long…

Rating: 91

Another glorious Inchmurrin. Where have they been all this time? I don’t think the previous owners realized exactly what they had. Thank god the new owners do focus on single malt whisky also. Great experiment by the WhiskyNerds. The ex-sherry cask really does lift the ex-bourbon cask to new heights. A great blend of the characters of the two previous releases.

Sample provided by WhiskyNerds

Thijs Klaverstijn

Thijs is a spirits writer and accredited liquorist from The Netherlands. He runs the blog Words of Whisky and contributes to a number of Dutch and international publications.