Whisky: Craigellachie 13 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
Producer: Bacardi
Distillery: Craigellachie Distillery
Region: Speyside, Scotland
Whisky Type: Single Malt (100% Malted Barley)
Age: 13 Years Old
ABV: 46%
Aged in Casks: ex-bourbon, ex-sherry
Price Range: $
Craigallachie (meaning “Rocky Hill” in Gaelic) Distillery is a single malt distillery located in Speyside, Scotland. It was built in 1891 by Craigellachie Distillery Co. Limited, a group of blenders and merchants led by Alexander Edward. In 1916 the ownership of Craigellachie passed to Sir Peter Mackie, who provided the malt whisky to create the White Horse Blend and another company under the name White Horse Distillers, Ltd before his death in 1924.
In 1927 Distillers Company Limited (a.k.a. DCL) purchased White Horse Distillers Ltd. The DCL was a trade cartel composed of big-name players in the whisky industry, such as John Walker & Co., James Buchanan & Co., and John Dewar & Sons, among others. Its mission was to control the supply of Scotch whisky by continually opening and closing distilleries to match demand and supply.
In 1987 DCL merged with Arthur Bell and Sons and formed United Distillers in Vintners. In 1997 United merged with Grand Metropolitan to form the multi-national beverage conglomerate Diageo, which had to sell John Dewar & Sons, Aultmore Distillery, Royal Brackla Distillery, and Aberfeldy Distillery to Bacardi to avoid having an industry monopoly.
In 1998 John Dewar & Sons bought the Craigellachie distillery. Since then, Craigallachie single malt has been primarily used as a component of Dewar’s Blend with other malts such as Aultmore, Royal Brackla, The Deveron, and Aberfeldy.
Today Craigellachie is available and marketed as a single malt launching for the first time as a single malt in 2004 with a 14 Year Old expression. The core range includes the following whiskies.
- Craigallachie 13 Yo.
- Craigallachie 13 Yo. Finished in Bas-Armagnac casks sourced from the northernmost part of Gascony in France.
- Craigallachie 17 Yo.
- Craigallachie 23 Yo.
All expressions matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
Tasting Notes for Craigellachie 13 Year Old
Craigallachie 13 Yo matured in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks with 50% finished in ex-bourbon and 50% finished in ex-sherry casks.
Nose: An aroma of vanilla and caramel are most noticeable.
Palate: A sweet arrival. There is orange and a touch of smoke that develops light but astringent and bitter flavors from the oak barrels. The bitterness is not strong enough to put me off. Adding half of teaspoon of water reduces the bitter flavor, paving the way for a sweeter (caramel) and delicious malt.
Finish: Medium to long with a light smoke and a bitter touch.
Conclusion: I do not think this is a highly complex whisky. However, the malt is consistent from the nose to the finish. The main play here is how the malt combines the sweet flavor with the oak influence. I have never been a fan of high-ABV whiskies where the barrels overshadows the spirit, but luckily it’s not the case here.
Add half a teaspoon of water and be rewarded as the malt takes a different personality, and did I mention it only cost me $50? Nowadays, it is hard to find malts that deliver a good experience at that price. Without a doubt a great value single malt. A great entry-level malt at an affordable price.
Score: 3.5/5⭐
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Legend
$50 or less $
$51-$100 $$
$101-$150 $$$
$151 or more $$$$
