Craigellachie 13 Year Old

Neat at Hesperia Hotel, Madrid; what was once a superb joint for whisky lovers, that is, the Scotch Bar within the hotel, doesn't exist anymore: Hesperia has been acquired by Hyatt and the old dim-lit den is now another regular bar with a humongous screen for sports: no quietness, no comfort, no more special drams. It's becoming increasingly difficult for a Madrid dweller to find nice spots, scotch-wise.

Anyway, they still have some of the old bottles, so here's the tasting: very pale pour, reminiscent of wheat and totally translucent. High intensity bitterish aromas (arugula, dandelion -those are bitter herbs, of course-, bitter lemon and grapefruit.) Mouthfeel is dry, powerful and pungent, with a bitter and smoky long-lasting finish that leaves an aftertaste of tobacco and leather.

If you're looking for a bitter and smoky dram, this might be it.

This is my first taste of Craigellachie thanks to @Wierdo for the sample. It makes a feature of using old-fashioned worm tubs and being something of a hark back to older times with the bumpf and packaging.

Nose - Quite sharp and sour with rhubarb and ginger cordial, pears, strong on the barley, a hint of caramels from a Quality Street tin and a little waft of peat smoke (with water).

Taste - Mouthfeel is on the thinner side, quite malty biscuity with some apricot and peach and more rhubarb and ginger.

Finish - Medium to long and drying. Peppery with some more ginger and a hint of peat.

This is with a few drops of water as I found that the nose became much more expressive and it teased out more fruit on the palate and peat on the nose and finish. The mouthfeel was on the thin side to begin with and it didn't help adding water on this front.

Well, not bad at all but not really grabbing me either and definitely benefits from a little water and time in the glass. Not one's typical Speyside you might say and it's certainly got its quirks but I doubt I'll be seeking out a bottle.

In his review on Whisky Fun Sergé made me chuckle with a remark that if Craigellachie wanted to make their labels any more old fashioned they'd have needed to use hieroglyphics.

I think its true of the whisky too. It's a Speysider that doesn't fit the Speysider mould, in the same way that Benromach doesn't. Not a Sherry cask in sight. Something about it just seems a bit self-consciously old fashioned.

Nose - creme brulee, ginger biscuits, Garam masala, cinnamon, manuka honey

Palate - thin mouthfeel, pleasant arrival sweet initially but more savoury overall with a little pepper, cereal, honey and cough sweets.

Finish is quite long and drying. Goes bitter and salty

With water (it doesn't take a lot) you get a sweet straw-like note on the nose, the bitterness on the development reduces and the finish seems a little more drawn out.

Pleasant enough whisky. Has a bit of character. I've enjoyed it more as I've got down the bottle. Would I buy another bottle? I wouldn't go out of my way to grab a bottle online but if I saw it in a supermarket I'd probably pick it up from the shelf. Has it convinced me to shop up the range and grab a bottle of the 17 year old at nearly £100? No. It's a decent dram but just seems a bit safe when compared to something like Benromach.

Craigellachie is a lesser known malt that was re-launched by the owners in the Last Great Malts series. Dewar’s & Sons presented their new line-up of this Speysider in 2014 with a 13, 17, 19 (travel retail), 23 and even 31 Year Old. Let me try the entry level malt of 13 years which matured on American oak.

The nose keeps you waiting for a while. First I get some yeast and raw barley notes before any fruit shows itself. Yellow apples, green banana and hints of citrus fruit, but I cannot really call this very fruity. A touch of honey and some milk chocolate. To be completely honest… a little boring.

The palate is not much of an improvement, I must say. Lots of malt – not the sugars – with some apples and maybe some pineapple and apricots pastry but also a big bitter note. Some almonds and more apples, but slowly this is become quite sharp. A bit of a let-down.

The finish shows an interesting bit of woodsmoke, but that’s about it.

Not exactly the most outspoken, complex or even very good Craigellachie I have tried. I am left a bit disappointed. I will spend those 50 EUR elsewhere.

Craigellachie 13 claims to be an old fashion made product. They boast about their worm tubs used in their process-- supposedly creating a spirit rich and full flavored. However, this is not exclusive to them. The likes of Old Pulteney, Springbank, Oban, Talisker, Craggenmore and a few more, also use worm tubs. Sounds to me there is a bit of marketing trickery afoot.

I was really curious about this SM because of the good reviews I've read online and the simple fact that is natural color, non-chill filtered and 46% abv. Everytime I hear that I just gotta have it.

The bottle has been dumped in a wide bottom decanter for two and a half days and the tasting is with a half teaspoon of water added.

Nose: Fresh, Lemon, pineapple, vanilla, ginger root tea, peppery, Granny Smith apples, apricots, traces of maple and butterscotch, dusty, quite earthy.

Palate: Bitter-sour arrival. The distillery describes it as "meaty", but to me it's chewy-rich barley. Semi-dry. Nutty sherry. Heavy spices at the apex like pepper with a touch of... Habanero? Now the fruits arrive like the nose suggests: Apricots, pineapples, green apples also a solid dose of vanilla extract with a bit of honey. As you get closer to the end it drops into low bass notes of dark chocolate and expresso coffee. As you can see its all bitter and sour. A touch of barley sugar balances all out anchoring the bitterness and preventing it to become a runaway freight train.

Finish: Medium to long. Earthy. Bitterness peaking again,but not as dominant as mid-palate. A slight caramel and maple appears and tapers off at the finish.

When first opened, it was very, very tight. No flavors were really tasted. It was bitter- sour with loads of pepper, and spirit dominated. After decanting, it opened up drastically. There is a ying and yang going on here. I've never had an experience like this with any other SM. It's light and vibrant, then turns deep and chewy to then finishing light and vibrant once more.

Patience is key with this one. This is certainly not a beginners whisky. It's definitely challenging, but with some patience, it is certainly rewarding.

Craigellachie 13 claims to be an old fashion made product. They boast about their worm tubs used in their process-- supposedly creating a spirit rich and full flavored. However, this is not exclusive to them. The likes of Old Pulteney, Springbank, Oban, Talisker, Craggenmore and a few more, also use worm tubs. Sounds to me there is a bit of marketing trickery afoot. I was really curious about this SM because of the good reviews I've read online and the simple fact that is natural color, non-chill filtered and 46% abv. Everytime I hear that I just gotta have it. The bottle has been dumped in a wide bottom decanter for two and a half days and the tasting is with a half teaspoon of water added. Nose: Fresh, Lemon, pineapple, vanilla, ginger root tea, peppery, Granny Smith apples, apricots, traces of maple and butterscotch, dusty, quite earthy. Palate: Bitter-sour arrival. The distillery describes it as "meaty", but to me it's chewy-rich barley. Semi-dry. Heavy spices at the apex like pepper with a touch of... Habanero? Now the fruits arrive like the nose suggests: Apricots, pineapples, green apples also a solid dose of vanilla extract with a bit of honey. As you get closer to the end it drops into low bass notes of dark chocolate and expresso coffee. As you can see its all bitter and sour. A touch of barley sugar balances all out anchoring the bitterness and preventing it to become a runaway freight train. Finish: Medium to long. Earthy. Bitterness peaking again,but not as dominant as mid-palate. A slight caramel and maple appears and tapers off at the finish. When first opened, it was very, very tight. No flavors were really tasted. It was bitter- sour with loads of pepper, and spirit dominated. After decanting, it opened up drastically. There is a ying and yang going on here. I've never had an experience like this with any other SM. It's light and vibrant, then turns deep and chewy to then finishing light and vibrant once more. Patience is key with this one. This is certainly not a beginners whisky. It's definitely challenging, but with some patience, it is certainly rewarding.