InchDairnie: Pushing whisky boundaries
Hidden land close to water” is the meaning of InchDairnie, the name of the Fife distillery committed to doing things differently, driven by a mission to push the boundaries of Scotch whisky.
Making my way to the distillery, between the towns of Glenrothes and Kinglassie, on a winter afternoon, it does indeed seem hidden by the surrounding Lomond Hills. But then its shimmering and distinctive amber-coloured logo appears on the horizon. It’s a striking site as its gleaming copper stills can be seen through large windows, showcasing the modern distillery in all its glory.
InchDairnie is proud of its Fife location and the impact it has on its flavour profiles. It uses barley from local farmers, and distils and matures everything on site. The area’s climate also has a big influence, with InchDairnie’s fermentation washbacks situated outdoors by the distillery building. This is an unusual decision, but one that makes the most of Fife’s climate and seasons.
The distillery will celebrate its tenth birthday next year. Production began in 2015 when the vision of industry stalwart Ian Palmer – formerly managing director and now chairman of the company – became a reality. His ambition was to build a distillery with equipment that breaks the mould to produce whisky driven by the mantra of “flavour, flavour, and more flavour”.
The results were brought to the market with InchDairnie’s inaugural release RyeLaw 2017 Vintage in 2023. RyeLaw is the only whisky in the world made using malted rye and distilled in a Lomond Hill still. I’m given a tour of the InchDairnie site, and insight into how its “precision distilling” processes vary from other producers, by managing director Scott Sneddon. He was distillery director before Palmer handed over the MD reins to him in May this year.
Scott says: “Ian didn’t want to build just another malt whisky distillery. He knew all about making great whisky, and there are lots of good malts out there, so he wanted to deliver something that sits outside the box.
InchDairnie is built around innovating in each of the ‘three Ms’ of materials, methods and maturation. “We push the boundaries, while staying within the rules of whisky making that go back to the report issued in 1909 by the Royal Commission, set up in 1908 to decide how whisky should be made. And we’re in line with the Scotch Whisky Act.”
Single malt Scotch must be made with the three raw materials of barley, water and yeast. But, as Scott explains, the rules specify other cereals traditionally used, including wheat, oats and rye. “We’re upfront and honest about what we’re doing. We remain respectful to tradition. Sometimes you need to look back to move forward,” he adds.
RyeLaw is made with 53 per cent malted rye and 47 per cent malted barley. Scott describes it as a “sipping rye”. It is categorised as single grain, but from next year it will have the more accurate description of Scottish Rye Whisky on its label. RyeLaw 2017 Vintage was a limited release and the outcome of just a single week’s production. Only 200 casks were bottled for the UK, Europe, the US, and Asia. It is 46.3 per cent ABV and has a peppery spiciness with an aromatic scent. The years of maturation in charred oak casks adds layers of vanilla sweetness and oakiness.
Walking around the InchDairnie site, Scott describes the three Ms in action: “We have a hammer mill – not the normally used roller mill – which almost pulverises the grain and allows it to pass through a metal sieve at the bottom of the mill.”
This metal sieve is replicated on InchDairnie’s bottle design, giving them a unique look. Scott continues: “We then use a mash filter, rather than a mash tun, with membranes inside that can squeeze the sugary liquid through filters, resulting in a higher yield and more flavour extraction. The mash filter can handle many types of grain which would clog a standard mash tun.”
As part of its planned expansion, InchDairnie this year doubled its number of copper pot stills from two to four – all from the city of Siena in Italy – giving it a production capacity of four million litres a year. It has two wash stills and two spirit stills, both fitted with two condensers to reuse energy and enhance flavour.
Turning next to maturation, InchDairnie currently has 18 warehouses, containing 170,000 casks, with scope for expansion. Being a new distillery, it was built with the environment at its heart, using the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” philosophy. It has a low energy demand, and is efficient in its use of cereals and water.
As part of its sustainability strategy, the distillery is working towards B-Corp certification. Jessica Stewart, InchDairnie sustainability manager, says: “We are 30 per cent more energy efficient than the average malt whisky distillery. We’ve made a commitment to 100 per cent green hydrogen in our distillation process. We installed a hydrogen-ready boiler in 2024 and are now just awaiting the supply, which we expect in 2027.”
She explains that its stills use thermal vapour recompression, a process that allows energy and hot water to be recovered. In other sustainability steps on site, beehives have been installed, and wild flowers will be planted.
Jessica says: “We’re also working with a local farmer at Balgonie Estate to grow ‘cover crops’ ,which aim to improve soil health and reduce the amount of chemical fertiliser used, which has a high carbon and environmental footprint.”
Next stop on the tour is a cave-like building that houses a treasure trove of casks. This is home to the InchDairnie Cask Owner’s Club. As the distillery is not open to visitors, this is usually the only way to see behind the scenes. I’m given the opportunity to sample some of the contents maturing in the cask club.
Every year, Scott chooses a season and 30 casks are filled with this spirit. For 2023, autumn new make was filled into a port cask to mature; for 2024, summer spirit was filled into a muscatel flavoured with American oak; for 2025, spring spirit will be placed in an American oak former Bourbon cask; for 2026, summer new make will be filled into a first-fill French oak cask, and for 2027 winter spirit will be filled into an Amontillado cask.
There are more exciting times ahead for InchDairnie, with new products set to be launched. RyeLaw 2018 Vintage will be unveiled next year. Scott says: “The 2018 Vintage has been maturing in oak from the Appalachian Mountains in the USA, whereas our inaugural RyeLaw was filled into Ozark mountain American oak.”
And, in a bold move, InchDairnie is launching its first peated single malt whisky – KinGlassie – which I had the privilege of tasting. “KinGlassie is only distilled once a year for two weeks every December,” Scott explains. “We’ll be using mainland peat, rather than the material from Islay. We’ll be showing the versatility of peat.”
Next March, the debut KinGlassie will be available, having matured for five years in refill American oak casks and then three years in Amontillado casks. The single malt combines flavours of smoke and tobacco, with rich layers of almonds and nuts. KinGlassie Vintage 2018 is sure to please lovers of delicately peated single malts.
In 2027, InchDairnie will add Prinlaws to its growing portfolio, a rare collection of flavour-led distillates conjured up through experimentation for up to two weeks each year by Scott using different yeasts, cereals and oaks.
Unlike the meaning of its name, InchDairnie is definitely not hidden from discerning consumers, thanks to such initiatives as its collaboration with Lorna McNee, head chef at fine-dining restaurant Cail Bruich in the West End of Glasgow, and Scotland’s only female Michelin-starred chef.
She created dishes using RyeLaw whisky for guests on a recent luxury cycling weekend in Perthshire with exclusive travel company LeBlanq, which has InchDairnie as its whisky partner.
Finally, returning to provenance, InchDairnie Distillery officially sits within the Lowland whisky producing region. But, along with others, it is part of the Fife Charter calling for the area to be recognised as a distinct whisky region.
The Kingdom benefits from a growing number of distilleries, such as Lindores – regarded as the birthplace of whisky – Kingsbarns, and Eden Mill. Scott concludes: “Our motto is ‘Fife grown, Fife distilled, and Fife matured.’”