Review #: 105
Description: Signatory Vintage Inchgower 1997: Specs Texas
Spirit: Scotch
Background: Here we have a whisky from the independent bottler, Signatory, with a 1997 vintage from the Inchgower distillery in Speyside. Inchgower mostly contributes to blended whisky in the Diageo portfolio, but this single cask was bottled specifically for Specs Liquors in Texas. Distilled on April 24th, 1997 and aged in a refill sherry hogshead before being bottled on November 6th, 2017, this was the “Championship Round” of the mystery showdown (though I was not in the running to be the winner).
Reviews 103-106 were done as part of a “Mystery Showdown” where about 10 contestants were each given the same set of 4 mystery samples and went head to head to determine an overall winner. Points were assigned based on guessing the spirit correctly, where it was made, proof, type of still, type of cask, age, and any “style” points the judge deemed appropriate. Bottles were selected randomly from a pool of all spirits, but with the knowledge that all would be fairly standard profiles or readily available bottles. A maximum price point was given, but no other information provided. The contents were revealed after guesses were submitted. This was a lot of fun and really a great exercise to try on blind reviewing.
Distillery – Inchgower
Bottler – Signatory Vintage
Brand – Signatory Vintage
Selection – Specs Texas
ABV – 61.5%
Age – 20 Years
Nose – Chocolate cake, bathroom cleaner, sour cherries, vinegar, roasted nuts, cinnamon. This is all over the place but it practically just straight red wine to me
Taste – Cocoa, nutty, caramel somewhat thin
Finish – Malt? I think I’m forcing myself to think malt. Sour wine, tannins, cocoa powder, eventually super sweet fruit comes in with raspberry and strawberry
Guess: Oh boy, this one is different that’s for sure. It feels super heavy on the wine influence, but the color isn’t super dark so maybe not a very wet cask? Also not confident that I got that much malt? Could this be some sort of brandy or blend? Maybe. But I’m just going to try and play it safe and say its a Scottish malt in a sherry cask and I have about 10% confidence in that. Not even going to try and nail a bottle. I will say 46-48%abv
Score: 6
Would I buy a bottle? No
Thoughts: Ok, a little further off on this one. The wine influence seems to have made it drink WAYYY below it’s proof. Was a little bit too much influence for my tastes but I’m not a huge wine person. Quite a bottle though to end the tournament with.