Die InchDairnie Distillery in Herzen von Fife wurde von zwei Ingenieuren gegründet – und von Anfang an hat man dort großen Wert auf Experimente und ungewöhnliche Methoden gelegt. So ist sie zum Beispiel eine der wenigen Brennereien, die eine Mash Filter Press einsetzt, wie man sie sonst nur aus der Bierproduktion kennt. Aber auch ihr RyeLaw Whisky ist ein Ausdruck dieser Experimentierfreudigkeit.
Nun hat man bei InchDairnie den Spirit für einen Peated Sour Mash Single Malt destilliert, nach dem Bekunden der Brennerei wahrscheinlich der erste seiner Art, der in Schottland hergestellt wurde. Der Whisky, der dadurch entstehen soll, wird ein Mitglied der PrinLaws Collection, die Whiskys in kleinen Batches aus ungewöhnlichen Destillaten, Hefen und Fassarten enthalten soll und damit einige der rarsten schottischen Whisky ergeben wird.
Hier einmal alles über den Peated Sour Mash Single Malt:
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Introducing InchDairnie’s PrinLaws Peated Sour Mash Single Malt: A Scotland First?
InchDairnie Distillery has produced what is believed to be Scotland’s first peated sour mash single malt spirit, revealing a markedly elevated fruit complexity within a traditionally smoky profile.
Fife-based Scotch whisky-maker InchDairnie Distillery devoted one of its annual experimental distillation weeks to applying a sour mash process – more commonly seen in American whiskey and Bourbon production – to malt peated over 50ppm. The result was a peated sour mash single malt spirit, not known to have been made in Scotland before.
While it will be eight to ten years before any whisky made from this spirit is bottled, the fruity richness of the new make was too compelling not to share now. InchDairnie is releasing a limited number of 10cl samples under its experimental label, PrinLaws, to writers, whisky fans and flavour enthusiasts who follow InchDairnie on social media.
Sour mash, also referred to in Scotland as backset, is traditionally used in American whiskey-making to influence pH and fermentation behaviour. In Scotland, where the water pH does not need any adjustment, the influence of sour mash plays out differently – shaping ester formation and fermentation character in ways completely unique to our environment.
When combined with InchDairnie’s hammer mill and mash filter system, and its double distillation and double condensation process, which increases copper contact and reduces suphur compounds, the spirit displayed a 38% increase in ester concentration compared to the distillery’s standard peated spirit.
The new make spirit already has a character that demands attention due to the elevated ester concentration. The result is smoky but lifted, with orchard fruit and a bonfire warmth that remains open and bright. It will now mature on site for years, developing the structure and depth that time can bring.
This distillation joins a body of ongoing flavour exploration at InchDairnie Distillery – experiments that also include distilling with wheat, oats and Irish-style pot still mash bills. The peated sour mash single malt will be released under the PrinLaws name, reserved for the distillery’s ongoing exploration of flavour in Scotch whisky-making.
Jens Tholstrup, who heads up the Innovation Team at InchDairnie Distillery said:
“Once a year, we devote one week to experimental distillations. We have the freedom to experiment because of our equipment – the hammer mill and mash filter – which lets us create different mash conditions that allows us to deal with difficult grain types and extract even more flavour from a standard grain.
“We’re always exploring how flavour behaves – or, sometimes even more interestingly, doesn’t play by the rules. Some ideas stay in the notebook, but this peated sour mash stood out almost immediately. We build on tradition at InchDairnie, but we’re not bound to it in our search for flavour.”
Scott Sneddon, Managing Director at InchDairnie Distillery said:
“Compared with our standard peated malt distillate, this spirit feels more open. The fruit comes through the smoke in a way we didn’t expect. It’s familiar, but with a clarity that suggests depth to come as it matures.”
The peated sour mash spirit won’t appear as a bottled single malt Scotch Whisky for years. But for now, 10cl samples of the new make spirit have been filled for those curious to taste where the story begins. From our understanding, this feels like the beginning of something with real depth. We’re releasing these samples now, because flavour is a conversation. We’re looking forward to hearing how others describe what they find.”
