Craigellachie

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.

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.

When it comes to Craigellachie I frequently see folks expressing sentiments of ‘one bitten, twice shy’. I get it. Particularly at younger ages years when the naturally sulphurous make hasn’t had time to properly settle out. However, a good whisky from this distillery can often celebration not only a seriously weighty mouthfeel, but also an attractive propensity toward bright fruitiness and delicate floral motifs.

Completing Decadent Drink’s season comes the winter edition of Equinox and Solstice – a 1^st fill hogshead of Craigellachie that was filled in 2006 and then bottled 15 years later at the same strength as the other bottles in the series – 48.5%.

Craigellachie can be a stubbornly awkward whisky. Whilst well-regarded and sought after for blending because of its naturally fruity profile and weighty spirit character, I’ve repeatedly seen Craigellachie in single malt form quickly divide a room – particularly when the offering involves younger liquid. Despite writing earlier this week about the ebbs and flows of maturation which often produce not one, but several or many ‘peaks’ within whiskies – Craigellachie doesn’t always fall quite so easily into this rubric for some drinkers. And the reason for that is oft-times sulphur.

Distilled in February of 2007 this Craigellachie has spent its life maturing in a refill ex-bourbon barrel. Spicy & Dry profile.

I always have time for this Speysider – this example was distilled in February 2007 and matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel. Sweet & spicy profile.

An interestingly categorised (given the distinctively un-coastal location) Craigellachie that’s slumbered in a refill ex-bourbon barrel for 12 years.

We’ve seen a few sherried Craigellachie’s over the last few outturns – this one is delivered au naturale from a 2^nd fill ex-bourbon barrel. View on SMWS

Over to Speyside for a 14 year old Craigellachie that’s been matured in a 2^nd fill ex-bourbon barrel.

View on SMWS

Sherry lovers rejoice – the Society have definitely got you covered this month with a Craigellachie that’s spent 13 years in an oloroso butt before being reracked for yet more sherry – into a 1^st fill moscatel hogshead. View on SMWS

Last month’s sherried Craigellachie (44.100) really did blow me away, so this one has some big shoes to fill. 13 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead with a 1^st fill PX finish. View SMWS

This Cragellachie spent 14 years in ex-bourbon hogshead before being finished in a 2^nd fill red wine barrique.

View on SMWS

This Craigellachie started life in an ex-bourbon hogshead. After 13 years it was re-racked into heavily charred new oak hogshead for an additional 2 years of finishing.

View on SMWS

A 15 year old Speysider in the form of this refill ex-bourbon barrel Craigellachie.

View on SMWS

It’s the penultimate day of the 2018 Boutique-y Whisky Advent calendar, and we have one final visit to Speyside to make before the finale. Craigellachie has long been prized by blenders for its inherent character – weighty, fruity distillate resulting from both the use worm tubs, and a particularly long fermentation. As such, whilst it’s presence has been felt in blends such as White Horse since the 19^th Century, it was not until 2014 that current owners Dewars/Bacardi really pushed the distillery as a single malt in its own right.

I’ve already seen a few commenting online that they sometimes struggle with Craigellachie. We can’t all like everything. Equally though, there are some suggestions that today’s Boutique-y Advent offering might have won over a few new fans to this spirit style – one that has long been prized by blenders for its inherent weight and fruity/cereal character. Craigyellachie is far more preferable to Craighellachie.