Taking a break with some Bourbon was fun, but it is time to get back to my beloved Scottish malt whisky. For the next couple of weeks, I’ll be focusing on cask finishes to explore how different types of casks affect the flavour of whisky and how well (or not) these work. It also offers me a chance to look at the various “previous owners” of such casks. Most of the upcoming reviews will come with an accompanying infographic to introduce the liquid seasoning of said casks. Today, I start with a review of whisky finished in Madeira casks, the Murray McDavid Inchgower, from the Cask Craft series.
TL:DR: An easygoing entry into cask finishes
Score*: 5.5, average in a good way… almost good stuff
Murray McDavid Cask Craft series
Murray McDavid was established in 1994 as an independent bottler. Notably, it was the organisation that purchased Bruichladdich in 2004. When Rémy Martin acquired Bruichladdich, they chose to sell Murray McDavid, which was bought by ACEO Ltd., the current owners. The company is reportedly looking to resume whisky production alongside its independent bottling operations. They have announced plans to reopen Dallas Dhu for production in 2025.
Murray McDavid’s line of IB whiskies is quite broad. Some of the most famous lines are the Mission Gold, rare whiskies released at cask strength, the Benchmark, single malts released as integrity bottlings, and the Mistery Malt series.
The Cask Craft series was introduced in 2022 to offer an approachable, and affordable, line of whiskies exploring cask finishes. Each expression in the series begins life as a classic single malt from distilleries across Scotland with a special twist provided by the finishing casks.
All the whiskies in this series are non-age-stated whiskies (believed to be around 5-7 years old), bottled at 44.5% ABV, non-chill filtered, and natural in colour. The choice of bottling at 44.5% is a bit puzzling. Murray McDavid has made a name for keeping many of their bottlings at 46% to eliminate the need for chill filtration. While diluting the whisky below this point might have its economic reasons, it stops frustratingly close to what the whisky aficionado crowd looks for.
Before I dive into my review of the Murray McDavid Cask Craft Inchgower Madeira cask finish, I have created an infographic to introduce what Madeira is and what flavours it potentially brings to whisky. If you want to skip ahead to the review, you can do so by clicking here.
Murray McDavid Cask Craft Inchgower Madeira Finish
Specs
Price paid: 42€
Batch: MAD-02
ABV: 44.5%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: No
Casks Used: Finished in Justino Madeira Cask Barriques
Tasting Notes
Colour: A rich, natural, honey colour
Nose: Gentle but characterful. There is a well-balanced sweet, fruity and spicy character. I smell white pepper, ripe fruit, in particular grapes and pear, honey, and cereals. There is a touch of tangerine peel, some burnt almost smoky caramel, and at the end a fresh note green and maritime.
Palate and finish: The texture is a bit thin and not terribly exciting. The flavours of the nose are a bit less defined. The character on the other hand remains true to itself. There are spicy notes of white pepper and cinnamon, cereal, apple, some lemon and woody, almost tannic mouthfeel.
The finish is medium with more oak, some ginger spice, a touch of dark caramel and orange oil.
Score*: 5.5, average in a good way… almost good stuff
First things first. The Murray McDavid Inchgower Madeira Finish in this review delivers what it promises. The Cask Craft series is supposed to be an approachable and affordable line of whiskies to explore cask finishes, and this bottle delivers on this promise. The price I paid is maybe a bit on the high side, but that reflect Italian market pricing. Look at prices in Germany and the Netherlands and you will find this line 5€ cheaper, if not more.
It also provides a good intro to the influence that Madeira cask finish can bring to a whisky. I am not an expert on Inchgower; this is the second or third one I have tasted, but it seems an inspired choice. The character of the spirit and cask work well together. However, it does stumble a bit when it comes to taste and finish. The dilution to 44.5% and the chill filtration do give a bit of a watered-down mouthfeel. Don’t get me wrong; this is still an enjoyable dram and one I will happily drink when I want something lighter with a fun, sweet, spicy and fruity character.
* Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Interested in my take on a specific whisky style? Check the full Journey here and jump to the relevant Chapter.
After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of Murray McDavid Cask Craft Inchgower Madeira enjoyed:
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