Inchgower Distillery: History, Owner, Range and Visitor Guide
Updated: 19 hours ago
Inchgower is the Speyside distillery that was once owned by a town council. It sits on the Moray coast, it has supplied Bell's blended whisky for most of the last century, and almost none of what it makes is sold as single malt. Here is its story, its owner and what is known about how it runs.
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Inchgower at a glance
At a glance | Inchgower Distillery |
|---|---|
Location | Buckie on the Moray coast, Speyside |
Founded | 1871, Alexander Wilson |
Owner | Diageo |
Character and heritage | Relocated from Tochineal, later owned by Buckie council, contributor to Bell's whisky |
Regular public visitor access | Inchgower is a working production distillery without regular public tours. |
Bottle information | Some named official expressions, with availability dependent on market |
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The story, ownership and production of Inchgower
Where is Inchgower distillery?
Inchgower is on the outskirts of Buckie in Moray, Scotland, on the coastal plain close to the Moray Firth. It is classed as a Lower Speyside malt. Water comes from springs in the Menduff Hills to the south of Buckie.
Inchgower history: from a rent dispute to Diageo
Inchgower exists because of a move. Alexander Wilson and Co had been distilling at Tochineal, near Cullen, and according to The Single Cask's distillery guide the landlord raised the rent sharply. Wilson dismantled that distillery and built a bigger one near Buckie in 1871, which he called The Great Distillery of Inchgower. Tochineal never made whisky again. Wikipedia describes the same 1871 build as a replacement for Tochineal.
1871: Inchgower is built by Alexander Wilson and Co on the outskirts of Buckie.
1903: Wikipedia records the business as liquidated.
1936: Buckie Town Council buys the distillery. The Single Cask quotes a price of around £1,600 and describes the council as the only local authority to have owned a Scotch whisky distillery.
1938: the council sells Inchgower to Arthur Bell and Sons for a reported £3,000. The Bell's logo is still used in Inchgower's advertising.
Mid-1960s: a second pair of stills is added, bringing the total to four.
1985: Guinness takes over Arthur Bell and Sons.
1987: Guinness merges its drinks interests into United Distillers and Vintners.
1997: Guinness and Grand Metropolitan merge to form Diageo.
Who owns Inchgower?
Inchgower is owned by Diageo. It passed from Arthur Bell and Sons to Guinness in 1985, into United Distillers in 1987 and to Diageo when the company was formed in 1997.
How Inchgower is made
The Single Cask's guide gives these details. They come from a third party and Diageo does not publish them on the pages we could reach, so treat the figures as approximate.
Stills: four, two wash and two spirit.
Washbacks: six, with a short fermentation of around 46 hours.
Malt: unpeated.
Capacity: typically quoted at around 2.2 million litres of pure alcohol a year, though some sources give a higher figure.
Warehousing: thirteen warehouses on site, a mix of traditional dunnage and modern racking.
Inchgower and Bell's
Almost all of Inchgower's production goes into blends. The Single Cask says as much as 99 per cent goes into Bell's, Johnnie Walker and other Diageo blends. Wikipedia confirms that Inchgower's distillate contributes to Bell's blended whisky.
Inchgower range
Official single malt bottlings are scarce. The ones named in the sources are a 14 year old in Diageo's Flora and Fauna series, a couple of Rare Malts releases, a 27 year old from 1976 bottled in 2004, and a 27 year old distilled in 1990 that was part of the 2018 Special Releases at 55.3% ABV. Most other bottlings come from independent bottlers. The Single Cask names Signatory, Douglas Laing and Hunter Laing, and says it has bottled Inchgower itself more than a dozen times.
Visiting Inchgower
Inchgower has no visitor centre. It is a working production site and is not open to the public. Buckie and the Moray coast are the nearest places to visit.
Diageo Malts: malts.com
Inchgower whisky bottles and key expressions
The comparison covers identifiable official bottles plus any explicitly labelled historic or special releases. Availability and exact cask details may vary by market and edition.
Named bottle / release | Age | ABV | Cask or release information |
|---|---|---|---|
Inchgower 14 Year Old Flora & Fauna | 14 years | 43% | Official Flora & Fauna bottling; cask recipe not fully confirmed |
Inchgower 27 Year Old 2018 Special Release | 27 years | 55.3% | Historic Special Release distilled 1990; edition details vary |
A closer look at Inchgower 14 Year Old Flora & Fauna
Whisky flavour, casks and tasting notes
Relocated from Tochineal, later owned by Buckie council, contributor to Bell's whisky. The precise aromas and flavours depend on the individual bottle, cask and age. These are distillery style observations, not original Whisky Clan bottle tasting scores. We only publish a personal rating once we have reviewed that whisky.
Where can you buy Inchgower?
Check the individual source pages listed below and reputable whisky specialists or auctioneers for historic releases. Prices and distribution can differ across the UK, the US, Europe, Canada and Australia. Historic catalogue listings do not confirm current stock.
Visitor information
Inchgower is a working production distillery without regular public tours.
More distilleries in Speyside Scotland
Aberlour — Speyside
Allt-A-Bhainne — Speyside
Explore other whisky makers in this region.
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Frequently asked questions about Inchgower
Where is Inchgower distillery?
On the edge of Buckie, Moray, in Lower Speyside.
Who owns Inchgower?
Diageo.
When was Inchgower built?
1871, by Alexander Wilson and Co.
Was Inchgower owned by a town council?
Yes. Buckie Town Council bought it in 1936 and sold it to Arthur Bell and Sons in 1938.
Which blends use Inchgower?
Bell's above all. The Single Cask also names Johnnie Walker.
Sources, references and photo credits
Official Diageo pages could not be loaded for this update, so ABVs for the current range and visitor details are not confirmed. Cover photo from Wikimedia Commons.
Featured image: original Inchgower distillery photograph from the Whisky Clan Wix media library. Attribution and correction requests are welcome.
About the author
 | Filip Janczak Storyteller, drinker and explorer of all things whisky. Read more about the person behind Whisky Clan and explore additional reviews and distillery guides. |
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