Widely available

Recommended

For the details…

Although Craigellachie was built in 1890–relatively recently, given that many of its Speyside peers date back another 40-60 years before that–it is widely considered to produce an “old style” Speyside malt, with a heavier, more sulphurous character thanks to the use of worm tubs. Oddly enough, like many of its contemporaries, Craigellachie was designed to produce a lighter, fruitier whisky than it currently does.

It was built by Peter Mackie and Alexander Edward, both already well established in the distilling industry, and designed by famed distillery architect Charles Doig. Ten years after its founding, Edward sold his stake to Mackie and his White Horse distillers, and that concern in its turn became a part of DCL in 1927, which eventually morphed into Diageo. Prior to the advent of Diageo, Craigellachie was bottled as part of the Flora and Fauna range, but as part of the merger between UDV and Guinness which created Diageo, it was sold to Bacardi along with the Dewar’s blend and several other distilleries.

It labored along in relative obscurity until 2014, when Dewar’s launched the “Last Great Malts of Scotland” range, with a revamped Aberfeldy range and Craigellachie as its leading lights. The 13 year old Craigellachie has remained consistently available with no major modification since the launch of the range; a 17 year old and 23 year old, and a variety of more limited bottlings (including a version of the 13 finished in Bas-Armagnac casks) have rounded out the range.

This 13 year old, aged in refill American oak, is a likable dram on the middle-heavyweight end of the Speyside spectrum. Medium to full-bodied, it’s meatier and more sulphurous than Macallan or Glenfarclas, but not yet hitting the roast beef heft of a Mortlach or a Benrinnes that has been logging some years in first-fill sherry wood. Still, its a substantial, altogether likable dram–made more so by integrity presentation–that is widely available, reasonably priced, and well worth your while unless you can’t abide any sulphur notes.

Craigellachie 13 year old 46% abv

Nose: Malty and quite peppery. Fresh blueberries. Dusty, slightly sour, with a rich, Sauternes-like undertone. Green apples, paprika, and soy sauce. Gunpowder. Fresh, unsmoked pipe-tobacco.

Body: Medium to full.

Palate: Very warm and round. Mildly smoky. Cedar box. Tobacco. Some beef broth. Sherried richness, with some sweetness and just a breath of struck match. Just a bit of peach. Balanced and likable.

Finish: Cocoa. Bitter and drying, rather short. A touch of beef or elk jerky at the last.

Score: 88/100

Who should buy it?: Anyone looking for an unusual, medium-heavyweight Speysider, but not quite ready to drink Bovril.

Overall thoughts: A tasty, likable dram and a nice introduction to the “old style” Speyside character.

Bottling Information:

Expression: Craigellachie 13 year old 46% abv

Bottler: Proprietor

Range: Last Great Malts of Scotland

Bottle Code: L14 25 4B 70 2106

Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color

Details: Batch #83-LH88

Price: $50-65

Availability: Widespread; there may be minor batch variation with more recent bottlings.

Distillery Information:

Region: Speyside

Location: Craigellachie, Central Speyside

Geography: Inland

Date Founded: 1890

Owner: John Dewar & Sons (Bacardi)

Website: https://www.craigellachie.com/

Capacity: 4,000,000

Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Steineker full Lauter; WASHBACKS: 8 Wood; STILLS: 4; HEAT SOURCE: Wash stills – pans, spirit stills – coils; CONDENSER: Worm tub

Total expressions sampled: 3

Overall distillery score: n/a

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