InchDairnie have launched their inaugural whisky called RyeLaw. Based in Fife, the distillery have utilised locally grown rye and barley to craft their single grain whisky.
RyeLaw is a 2017 vintage composed of 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley and will be bottled at 46.3%. Had RyeLaw been produced in the United States, it would actually have met the criteria to be considered an American rye whiskey; however, since there’s more than a few miles between Glenrothes and Kentucky, RyeLaw is classed as a single grain Scotch. But geography be damned - for all intents and purposes InchDairnie have crafted a truly exciting Scottish rye whisky.
This limited release is made from a single week’s production, and as such only 200 casks were filled and will be used for the inaugural RyeLaw. It has been matured in new charred American oak casks, with future releases expected to use different cask combinations.
RyeLaw promises notes of vanilla, cereal and rye-led spiciness, but also has some softer, fruity aromas and a slightly fuller mouthfeel when compared to its American made counterparts.
Rye whisky has become increasingly popular among Scottish producers, with Bruichladdich recently launching their own rye-led single grain and Arbikie releasing their Highland Rye in 2018. However, there are a few factors that set InchDairnie apart from the competition.
Firstly, InchDairnie are the first distillery to use malted rye for their whisky. They also use a specific yeast in their fermentation that is favourable for rye production, which results in lowers yields but a greater flavour.
Indeed, much of InchDairnie’s production process is fairly unique. For example, they use a mash filter rather than a mash tun, which easily handles grains such as rye that may clog a traditional tun. These filters are also more efficient and result in a wort with a higher sugar content, which in turn translates to more esters (and thus flavour) during fermentation.
Similarly, the distillery utilises a Lomond Hill still, a unique type of pot still that features 6 copper bubble plates within the neck. This still allows the distillery to locate the point of the optimum flavour and collect the spirit at a specific strength. The Lomond Hill still is used exclusively for distilling of grains such as rye and wheat, but won’t be used for production of InchDairnie’s single malt.
All of this is part of InchDairnie’s pursuit of flavour and desire to create intriguing and enticing experiences for whisky drinkers. RyeLaw is the first culmination of this endeavour and future releases will aim to reinforce InchDairnie’s reputation in this regard.
One of these will be the planned Prinlaws collection, which will be a series of one-off experiments showcasing different yeasts, grains and casks. The first Prinlaws release will be the first whisky made from oats to be produced in Scotland in over a century, with a launch date still to be confirmed.
Fans of InchDairnie’s inaugural single grain may have to wait a while before they can get their hands on their first single malt. There are currently plans to release an InchDairnie single malt in 2029, with a peated expression potentially arriving earlier under the name KinGlassie.
RyeLaw is available now through specialist retailers.