16 years in ex-bourbon for this Cragganmore – then a finish in a 1st fill charred red wine barrique
Nose: Deep and earthy with mosses, green leaves and clay sitting alongside fig rolls, plum, cherries, dusty orange and jelly sweets. Brown sugars envelop tobacco leaves, whilst dark wood panelling is joined by leather-bound books. Water adds bakery with biscuit crumbs, oven-baked buns and doughy rolls.
Taste: Bold and perky. Prominent ginger spicing arrives on the palate with rich chocolate sponge, rum-soaked raisins and a scattering of bright red fruits – cranberries, raspberries and cherries. Espresso coffee is joined by rich toffee, whilst cinnamon sticks and tobacco reinforce in the back-palate. Dilution adds creaminess with booze-soaked berries sprinkled over Chantilly cream.
Finish: Long with drying oakiness, chocolate and heavily reduced pan sugars.
Have no fears with this wine finish – everything has been kept well in check. The underlying spirit is still pronounced, with the barrique adding both fruitiness and decadent depths.