Craigellachie 13-Year Single Malt Scotch Review & Tasting Notes

 

If I mentioned the Scottish village of Craigellachie and asked you what you associated with it, you may suggest The Macallan. If I asked you to think harder, you could blurt out The Craigellachie Hotel, which happens to be the oldest whisky hotel in all of Scotland, dating back to 1893. You might even mention it is where the Fiddich and Spey rivers meet.

 

Lesser known is The Craigellachie Distillery. If that doesn’t ring a bell, think Dewar’s. Craigellachie makes a large portion of the blend that goes into Dewar’s. It was also a significant component of The White Horse. The distillery was founded in 1891 by blenders and merchants Alexander Edward and Peter Mackie. Shortly after that, it became The Craigellachie-Glenlivet Distillery, Co., then sold to The Distillery Company, Ltd., and again to SMD in 1930, who retained ownership until 1998, when it was acquired by Dewar’s. The distillery uses a worm tub, transforming the alcohol vapor into liquid and creating a heavier, more flavorful spirit.

 

Today I’m pouring Craigellachie 13, one of the distillery’s core single malts. It is non-chill filtered, naturally colored, and aged 13 years in a combination of former Bourbon and sherry casks. Bottled at 46% ABV (92°), you can expect to shell out about $46.00 for a 750ml. I grabbed a bottle from my local Costco.

 

To find out if I shopped smart, I need to #DrinkCurious.

 

Appearance: Poured neat in a Glencairn glass, Craigellachie 13 possessed the look of golden straw. A medium-thick rim formed, leading to fat, crooked legs that worked their way back to the pool of liquid sunshine.

 

Nose: Highly aromatic, this Scotch featured notes of lemon, banana, caramel, butterscotch, and oak. When I drew the air into my mouth, I could swear banana pudding rolled across my tongue.

 

Palate:  Craigellachie 13 had a creamy and full-bodied texture. The more I sipped, the heavier it became. On the front, I tasted apricot, banana, and vanilla cream. The middle offered English toffee, milk chocolate, lemon peel, and pineapple. Then, on the back, I found roasted coffee, torched caramel, brown sugar, and charred oak.

 

Finish: I concluded that this had a relatively short finish on the first sip. Yeah, never mind that, because as I continued to explore this whisky, the finish gained length to the point where I could describe this as long and spicy with flavors of vanilla and lemon (which, admittedly aren’t spicy), followed by char, dry oak, and clove that gained more weight as time elapsed.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust:  Craigellachie 13 is atypical of a Speyside Scotch. Sure, it had some fruity notes, but most were savory and spicy. The charred oak allowed a certain smokiness not to be confused with peat. That full-bodied mouthfeel was enchanting, the palate was reasonably complex, and I adored that strong clove finish. Take the sub-$50.00 price into account, and I’m sold giving this a Bottle rating. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy to Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.