Craigellachie
Distilled in February of 2007 this Craigellachie has spent its life maturing in a refill ex-bourbon barrel. Spicy & Dry profile.
Bacardi’s Craigellachie sits alongside Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Macduff and Royal Brackla as part of the Dewars & Sons group of distilleries. Until recently, it’s not a distillery that you really would have seen much of, save for independent bottlings – until 2014 there was only a 40% 14 year old, a 43% 14 year old (Flora and Fauna bottling) and a handful of special editions produced for local venues including the nearby Craigellachie Hotel. Then, as part of Bacardi’s Last Great Malts series, a veritable sea of Craigellachie bottles have been released over the last four years, introducing the distillery to a much wider audience. One of these releases included the 31 year old ‘Very Old Reserve’, which went on to win Best Single Malt at the World Whisky Awards in 2017.
Whilst Lyndsey Gray has been managing the Quaich Bar for the past four years, ‘managing’ is rather underselling her role at the Craigellachie Hotel. Working with the likes of Charles MacLean and Dave Broom, Lyndsey has helped curate the rather cosmic collection, which extends across three of the four walls of the well fitted, but very comfortable wood-heavy bar. When I caught up with her last week she was still in recovery mode following the Spirit of Speyside Festival – an event which helps drive whisky tourism, but one that is the bane of anyone trying to maintain an up to date accurate whisky list.