Invergordon 2017 7 Year Old Batch 2, Little Brown Dog

When is a bourbon not a bourbon? When it's a high rye spirit drink distilled in Scotland.

This unusual release was distilled at Invergordon using a mash bill of wheat, corn, malted barley and rye. An American bourbon maker was brought in with instructions to produce the spirit exactly as they would in the United States. The resulting spirit was column distilled and matured for 7 years in virgin American oak casks.

So why isn't it called bourbon? During fermentation, enzymes were added to improve the conversion of starches into fermentable sugars. While this is common in bourbon production, it isn't permitted under Scotch whisky regulations. As a result, the spirit cannot legally be described as bourbon or as Scotch whisky, and is instead classified as a high rye Scottish spirit drink.

The mash bill contains less than 51% rye, so it would fall into the bourbon rather than rye whisky category if produced under US bourbon regulations.

The first batch proved popular with Little Brown Dog customers and began appearing in bars, leading to a further 1,000 litres being secured for Batch 2.

Bottled at cask strength, with natural colour and without chill filtration.