Invergordon 9 Year Old (Battlehill)

This is stop number 37 on the SDT, Invergordon. Similar to Girvan, which I recently reviewed, this distillery only produces single grain whisky. I don't have much information on this Highland distillery, but I'm quite certain its primary role is for use in blends, as official distillery bottlings are hard to find. This 9-year-old comes from independent bottlers Battlehill. It's bottled at a strong 58% ABV, is non-chill filtered, and has a natural pale straw color. The nose initially hits with alcohol, as expected at this strength. It's very waxy, like candle or paraffin wax. There's a good amount of vanilla and grain (it seems like wheat, but could be another grain). Green oak and sawdust. Some honey and another hit of oak, but this time it's charred oak. At this point, it took a turn for the worse, and a very sour note emerged, reminiscent of sourdough bread. I decided to add a generous amount of water to see the effect. More grain, oak, and honey came out, but so did more of that sour note. It was really off-putting. The palate is hot with sharp oak. Underripe stone fruits like apricots and nectarines, and some bitter grapes or bad grapenuts cereal. Some bitter chocolate and possibly burnt coffee beans. The water amplified the sourdough bread note on the palate as well. A strange soapy note also came through. It wasn't pleasant and actually made me feel a little queasy. The mouthfeel is hot, oily, and mouthwatering. Actually, a rather pleasant mouthfeel. A medium-long finish that is sour with green oak. I believe I've made my point that this stuff wasn't very good, at least not to my nose and palate. Really unpleasant sour notes. It actually reminded me of Craigellachie in its sourness (I know most people rave about Craigellachie, but I didn't care for it). I ended up dumping about half of the sample a friend provided me with (sorry). It just wasn't sitting well with me, and still isn't 30 minutes later. I can't imagine a situation where I would buy or recommend this bottle. The initial nose and mouthfeel are the only positive aspects I found. I'm giving it 2 stars, and I think that's generous. Cheers

To begin our third round of Scottish distillery samples with more excitement, I chose to try the official Invergordon sample. This 9-year-old expression, independently bottled by Battlehill at 58% cask strength. It has a very pale yellow hue and the aroma brings to mind candle wax and cereal box marshmallows, with suggestions of vanilla, figs, and nutmeg. Despite the 58% ABV, there's no sign of the alcohol. The young, lightly toasted oak provides an interesting foundation. On the palate, an initial burst of oak and peppery spice quickly subsides, giving way to the taste of a freshly opened box of Lucky Charms cereal, complete with marshmallows! The sweetness of vanilla and honey softens the burn as it transitions to a sweet wheat and malty finish. It's more oily than anticipated but rather brief. I truly expected a long and fiery finish due to the ABV, but perhaps that's the charm of grain whisky. It's quite smooth overall. It's very inoffensive, though lacking in depth, which I assume is why it's primarily used for blending, but it remains surprisingly pleasant. It's like liquefied Saturday morning cereal with a kick. 3.75 stars. I find myself enjoying this more than I likely should, haha.

Perhaps the worst of 200 whiskeys I've sampled. Tastes like burning tires and peppercorns with a horribly off-putting flavor throughout, from beginning to end. It seems the grain in this single grain definitely isn't barley.

Light and slightly floral with a buttery texture. I'm enjoying it, and I'm unsure why others have expressed negative opinions. It's a pleasant whiskey for summertime.