Last week's big tweet tasting from The Whisky Wire was all about Craigellachie Distillery, one of the so-called Last Great Malts from Bacardi. "Rocky Hill" Craigellachie was never a big name in the whisky industry. Most of its production goes in the Dewar's blends.
In 2014 Bacardi decided to go full frontal with 5 of its distilleries: the already well-known Aberfeldy, Glen Deveron, Aultmore, Royal Brackla and Craigellachie. And with a promise of 46% ABV and age statements, the word spread quickly among whisky geeks...
We'll go through the whole range including the 19yo Travel Retail edition and a 21yo single cask exclusive to the Craigellachie Hotel and its even more famous The Quaich whisky bar.
Colour: Light gold, oily beads slowly slide down.
Nose: Banana with brown sugar, oranges, leather, a shot of spices. Subtle hints of sherry and sulphur matching nicely with sweet apple aromas.
Taste: Spices upfront. Pepper, cardamon and ginger. A touch of malt and apples. Sweet and oily. A young chap with quite a character.
Finish: A warm honeyed finish with lots of spices. Fairly long with a touch of mint near the end. Violet and anise candy.
Colour: A tad darker then the 13yo. Thin oily legs.
Nose: Sweet and spicy. Definitely related to the 13yo. More sherry & sulphur. Buttery. Cranberry jam with a dash of lemon.
Taste: Sweet oak. Honey and rosemary. Malt, sulphur and ginger. Some lovely waxy notes.
Finish: A warm malt drink with oranges
Colour: Pale gold. Paler then the 13yo. Probably only bourbon casks in the mix. Oil beads transform into thin legs.
Nose: A little smokiness. Pineapple, agave syrup and pepper. Vanilla pudding, lemon rind and citrus fruit. Sulphur. Caramelised banana.
Taste: More wood influences. Bittersweet. Oranges. Traces of spices and sulphur. Apples. A satin mouth feel with a bite.
Finish: Soft malt, honey, mint and sulphur. Juicy mango.
Colour: Deep copper. Mahogany with an orange glow. A sticky texture.
Nose: Sherry and nuts. Walnuts and hazelnuts. A sherry-sulfur beast. Grappa with pears and caramel. A coupe with banana ice cream and rum-raisins ice cream.
Taste: Rich and intense. Sherry, sulfur and flint. Aniseed. A winey sour texture awakens the palate. Becomes sweeter with saliva. Sugar syrup with mint.
Finish: Aniseed and nuts. Baked apple. An ultra long finish.
Colour: Gold coloured. Slow graceful legs sliding down.
Nose: Enjoying a honey glazed pulled pork with hazelnuts in a dusty library.
Taste: Slightly bitter. Cough syrup. Elderflower and raisins. Dark chocolate and baked pineapple.
Finish: Dark chocolate and sweet malt.
The complete Craigellachie range is fairly high quality. Part of its success is the higher ABV. The 13yo is a good entry level malt. Forget Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. If you want to explore Speyside whiskies pick up a bottle of this Craigellachie 13 and an Aultmore 12. I was particularly fond of the 17yo and the 19yo. Both of them have a few additional layers of complexity and I still haven't made up my mind which one to choose.
The 21yo is a superb sherry bomb and an absolute star but is fairly unknown and hard to find. I don't know if there are bottles up for sale but if so make sure to drop me a line! The 23yo is simply too expensive for me. A truly great whisky but it didn't impress me as much as the 21yo.
Source and pictures: The Whisky Wire & Craigellachie
A final word of thanks to Steve Rush from The Whisky Wire, Stephen Marshall and the team at Bacardi and the people from Quercus Communications.
In 2014 Bacardi decided to go full frontal with 5 of its distilleries: the already well-known Aberfeldy, Glen Deveron, Aultmore, Royal Brackla and Craigellachie. And with a promise of 46% ABV and age statements, the word spread quickly among whisky geeks...
We'll go through the whole range including the 19yo Travel Retail edition and a 21yo single cask exclusive to the Craigellachie Hotel and its even more famous The Quaich whisky bar.
The romantic & The pragmatic
- Craigellachie Distillery, Aberlour (Speyside)
- The Last Great Malts - Bacardi ltd.
- 13 - 17 - 19 - 21 - 23 years old single malts
- 46% ABV
Craigellachie 13
Flames. Flared light. Fireworks. Breath in Bonfire Night. Clove-studded baked apples. Sulphury cordite. Hefty, malty, mazy in the mouth. Bonnie sweet, but with fire in its belly.
Colour: Light gold, oily beads slowly slide down.
Nose: Banana with brown sugar, oranges, leather, a shot of spices. Subtle hints of sherry and sulphur matching nicely with sweet apple aromas.
Taste: Spices upfront. Pepper, cardamon and ginger. A touch of malt and apples. Sweet and oily. A young chap with quite a character.
Finish: A warm honeyed finish with lots of spices. Fairly long with a touch of mint near the end. Violet and anise candy.
Craigellachie 17
A caustic candy store. Vanilla, exotic fruits. Sweet treats. Then sucker punch; a jab of aromatic liquorice and a smooth, smouldering end. A nippy sweetie of a nip.
Colour: A tad darker then the 13yo. Thin oily legs.
Nose: Sweet and spicy. Definitely related to the 13yo. More sherry & sulphur. Buttery. Cranberry jam with a dash of lemon.
Taste: Sweet oak. Honey and rosemary. Malt, sulphur and ginger. Some lovely waxy notes.
Finish: A warm malt drink with oranges
Craigellachie 19 (Travel Retail)
Stand fast for a skirmish. Tempting, pungent pineapple. A deil’s cauldron of tangled flavours; spicy, sulphurous, biscuity beneath. A bellicose malt of backbone and brimstone. Feisty but braw.
Colour: Pale gold. Paler then the 13yo. Probably only bourbon casks in the mix. Oil beads transform into thin legs.
Nose: A little smokiness. Pineapple, agave syrup and pepper. Vanilla pudding, lemon rind and citrus fruit. Sulphur. Caramelised banana.
Taste: More wood influences. Bittersweet. Oranges. Traces of spices and sulphur. Apples. A satin mouth feel with a bite.
Finish: Soft malt, honey, mint and sulphur. Juicy mango.
Craigellachie 21 (Exclusive to the Craigellachie Hotel)
A cask strength single cask bottled at 57.2% ABV and exclusively bottled for the Craigellachie Hotel. If you can only have one drink in the Quaich bar, make it this one!
Colour: Deep copper. Mahogany with an orange glow. A sticky texture.
Nose: Sherry and nuts. Walnuts and hazelnuts. A sherry-sulfur beast. Grappa with pears and caramel. A coupe with banana ice cream and rum-raisins ice cream.
Taste: Rich and intense. Sherry, sulfur and flint. Aniseed. A winey sour texture awakens the palate. Becomes sweeter with saliva. Sugar syrup with mint.
Finish: Aniseed and nuts. Baked apple. An ultra long finish.
Craigellachie 23
A malty tang. Oil. Grit and grist. Summons the mill house of old. Then cinnamon and a menthol dunt. Pig-headed, big flavoured. Sweet-and sulphur with each mouthful. A muckle, meaty dram.
Colour: Gold coloured. Slow graceful legs sliding down.
Nose: Enjoying a honey glazed pulled pork with hazelnuts in a dusty library.
Taste: Slightly bitter. Cough syrup. Elderflower and raisins. Dark chocolate and baked pineapple.
Finish: Dark chocolate and sweet malt.
The complete Craigellachie range is fairly high quality. Part of its success is the higher ABV. The 13yo is a good entry level malt. Forget Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. If you want to explore Speyside whiskies pick up a bottle of this Craigellachie 13 and an Aultmore 12. I was particularly fond of the 17yo and the 19yo. Both of them have a few additional layers of complexity and I still haven't made up my mind which one to choose.
The 21yo is a superb sherry bomb and an absolute star but is fairly unknown and hard to find. I don't know if there are bottles up for sale but if so make sure to drop me a line! The 23yo is simply too expensive for me. A truly great whisky but it didn't impress me as much as the 21yo.
Source and pictures: The Whisky Wire & Craigellachie
A final word of thanks to Steve Rush from The Whisky Wire, Stephen Marshall and the team at Bacardi and the people from Quercus Communications.
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