On Tuesday I had a review of a bourbon cask Inchmurrin bottled by the SMWS in 2018. Here now is another. This one is a few years older. By the way, despite what the label on the sample bottle might lead you to think, I did not get this from Sku.

Inchmurrin 14, 2004 (60%; SMWS 112.39; 2nd-fill hogshead; from a bottle split)

Nose: The usual mix of bright acid and mineral notes to start; then lime peel and salt expand along with more tropical notes of tart mango and dragonfruit and just a hint of passionfruit. With time the lime peel is still the top note and the mineral quality is right there with it along with a whiff of paraffin. A few drops of water push back the paraffin, bring out some sweeter notes (vanilla) and make the whole bigger. A bit more water and there’s more fruit still: sweeter (berries) and richer.

Palate: Hits with the acid—some chalk mixed in there too. Comes in hot but more expressive than you might expect at 60%. This is going to need water for sure but let’s see if air softens it up a bit first. Well, it only seems to get more chalky at first; with more time the lime expands and it’s makrut lime now but it’s still not as lush as I was hoping it would be. Let’s see if water brings out more of the richer fruit from the nose. Ah yes, there it is and the chalk turns to white pepper. Okay, I’m going to add a couple more drops. More pepper still and the balance is a little off.

Finish: Long. Not much here at first beyond sharp acid, chalk and salt. As on the palate with water. More pepper here too with more water.

Comments: This is very good too but a little fussier with the much higher strength. I’m not sure I got the dilution just right—there’d be more room for experimentation with a full bottle. As it is, I liked it a fair bit though not quite as much as the younger one.

Rating: 87 points.