Another month, another excellent insider peek into the world of whisky from the W Club Decanted. In this episode, Luke and Scott have a wide-ranging natter about all things InchDairnie, particularly their two recent new instalments — Kinglassie RAW and Double Matured — and the upcoming new Ryelaw vintage.

“Everything at InchDairnie is about the quest for flavour. From the innovative hammer mill with its fine grist, to the special yeast recipe, which was developed after much experimentation to find the perfect match.”

Bringing science to the forefront of InchDairnie's flavour-focused philosophy, Scott's background lies in the world of Chemical Engineering which has taken him from salmon farming to thermal insulation and beyond, before bringing him to his current role. At InchDairnie, Scott tells us how his passion for science and whisky has finally been realised in one vision, and how this has helped to quite literally build the distillery that we know and love today!

Having experience in both modern and traditional methods of distillation, Scott tells us more about the careful thought and selection that has gone into the creation of a unique InchDairnie process, including the use of a hammer mill rather than a roller mill, a mash filter rather than a mashtun and more.

“We are a Fife distillery that brings malt whisky tradition into the modern world. From grain to bottle, we take an innovative approach to flavour and engineer our whiskies with a strong purpose: to excite palates.”

The episode also goes on to cover InchDairnie's two latest releases - the KinGlassie Double Matured, and the KinGlassie Raw. Both matured for 8 years, Scott describes how the original concept for these releases was the reimagining of the peated whisky, "When talking about peated whisky, people automatically think of the heavy or medicinal TCP phenolic compounds. So when we were looking at it, rather than going for Islay peat, we went for mainland peat. And the mainland peat gives more smokiness."

"So what we did is for the first 5 years, we put all of the liquid in ex-bourbon casks. Then after 5 years, we took some of that out and we put it into a Montiado casks for three years. So the Montiado almost suppresses the peatiness on the nose. It's only when you taste it. There's a lovely chewiness to it and there's a feeling of velvet. So that's why we talk about it being velvet almond smoke. So the velvet is that texture. The the almond is the nuttiness that we're getting from the a montiado sherry and it gives you that lovely nuttiness coming through. Then you get the peaty-ness, but it's not a hit, it's just there is that subtleness coming through."

BUT - we don't want to give the whole podcast away, so if you want to find out more about these two exciting releases, and the upcoming edition of InchDairnie's famous RyeLaw, you'll have to find the W Club Decanted on your favourite podcast app and listen now!

Find out more about what went into this fascinating new release by listening to the podcast now!

Want to be first to hear about new releases like these? Join the W Club for exclusive bottlings, tastings, and insider whisky content.

A bit of History

In the early years of the 21st century, the whisky industry entered a period of transformation, opening the door for the establishment of a new Scotch malt whisky distillery—one built on innovation and a forward-looking vision.

The search for a suitable site led to the consideration of several locations, among them the grounds once occupied by Prinlaws Mill, situated on the banks of the River Leven near the town of Leslie in Fife. The riverbanks are dotted with historic mills, many of which once harnessed the steady current of the Leven, fed by Loch Leven in Kinross-shire to the west.

Prinlaws Mill itself, constructed in 1829, was owned and operated by John Fergus & Co. The mill thrived for over a century before the company ceased trading in 1957. Following its closure, the site was largely demolished, with one striking feature left behind: a tall red-brick chimney, a relic from the period when the mill converted to coal power, supplied by the nearby mines.

Find out more about InchDairnie here

Featured Drams

Listened to the pod and want to get your hands on your very own InchDairnie bottling? You're in the right place - you can now buy these instore and online at The Whisky Shop!

Inchdairnie KinGlassie 8 Year Old Double Matured

KinGlassie Double Matured is a distinctive Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky, crafted with precision at the InchDairnie Distillery and produced just once a year in the depths of winter. Made exclusively from locally grown barley and peated to over 50ppm using mainland peat, it embodies a bold character. This limited release undergoes a unique double maturation: five years in refill American oak casks followed by three years in Amontillado sherry casks, enhancing its depth and complexity.

On the nose, it offers pronounced smoke and tobacco, layered with nutty richness, while the palate reveals velvety smoke, roasted almonds, and a long, charred finish. Bottled at 46.3% ABV, non-chill filtered, and without added colour, it reflects a modern take on traditional Scotch craftsmanship.

KinGlassie Raw 2017 8 Year Old

Recently featured in our Whiskeria magazine alongisde its counterpart KinGlassie Double Matured, InchDairnie's KinGlassie Raw is a boundary-pushing, limited-edition, peated single malt from Fife, crafted with innovation and precision.

Distilled for less than a week each winter using 100% Fife-grown barley peated to over 50ppm with mainland peat, it captures both the distillery’s signature character and an untamed smokiness. Matured for eight years in refill American oak casks, entirely within Fife, this non-chill filtered whisky retains its natural colour and full-bodied depth.

The nose opens with layers of bonfire smoke, while the palate balances intense peat with a rich, sweet maltiness. Bottled at 46.3% abv, it offers a rare and distinctive taste of Fife terroir.

On the nose, it offers pronounced smoke and tobacco, layered with nutty richness, while the palate reveals velvety smoke, roasted almonds, and a long, charred finish. Bottled at 46.3% ABV, non-chill filtered, and without added colour, it reflects a modern take on traditional Scotch craftsmanship.

InchDairnie RyeLaw Fife Single Grain Scotch Whisky

"Deep gold with orange lights; virgin American oak casks. The top notes are fruity, led by banana, backed by coconut, and permeated by fresh oak. All simple and harmonious. A creamy texture, the taste is sweet and centre palate, finishing elegantly spicy." - Charles MacLean

The inaugural release from the innovative InchDairnie Distillery, the 2017 vintage of RyeLaw has distinctive rye spice flavour unlike any other Scotch whisky. The mash bill is comprised of 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley that has been expertly ground in a hammer mill in order to extract maximum flavour before being fermented with a rye-specific yeast for that perfect taste. The precious liquid was then matured in newly charred oak casks sourced from the Ozark Mountains, USA. This spectacular bottle is beautifully presented and features three ripples on the side to illustrate the distillery’s 3Ms philosophy (pushing the boundaries of flavour through the materials, method and maturation) and bottled at 46.3% abv.

Expect aromas of rye spice, mellow oak and a soft underlayer of vanilla bean. The palate explodes with spicy pepper, sweet biscuits, cereal and dried fruit, with a finish full of sweet spice. A delicate and endlessly sippable rye whisky. 

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