Ferg & Harris Craigellachie 15 Virgin Oak and White Port Finish Single Malt Scotch Reviews

 

This is the second of a four-part series of reviews of Scotches from independent bottlers. The first, which includes an explanation of what (or who) independent bottlers are, is here.

 

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.

 

Less 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, we’ll explore two independent bottlings of The Craigellachie from Ferg & Harris. Founded in 2020 by John Ferguson and Alex Harrison, the Edinburgh-based enterprise specializes in single malt, single cask whiskies.

 

“First, we seek out top-class single malts. Next, each cask is decanted into another carefully chosen barrel. Then we wait. For fine whiskies and matched wood to do their magic. Finally, our remarkable liquids are bottled for a lucky few.” – Ferg & Harris

 

Ferg & Harris warehouses a stock of about 500 barrels of whisky.

 

The Whiskey Lab, founded by Jay Roberts, provided the samples for today's subject whiskies. The Whiskey Lab specializes in procuring rare and exclusive Scotch whiskies for the American market. These were given to me in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest reviews, so let’s #DrinkCurious and discover what these Craigellachie expressions are all about!

 

I used a fresh Glencairn glass for each and sipped both neat.

 

The Craigellachie 15 – Virgin Oak Finish

 

• Mashbill: 100% malted barley
• Age: 15 years
• Cooperage: 1^st fill Amontilado matured oak, 1^st fill virgin oak finish
• Alcohol Content: 63.1% ABV (126.2°)
• 700mL Price: $170.00
• Number of Bottles: 284

 

Appearance: In my glass, this whisky was the color of maple syrup. A fragile rim discharged thick, tightly spaced, slow tears.

 

Nose: The aroma caught me off guard. Yeah, you read that right. I must have uttered something because my response caught Mrs. Whiskeyfellow’s attention. I found cocoa, caramel, leather, oak, and tobacco leaf. What was surprising was how strong the cocoa was. There were cocoa and malt when I drew the air into my mouth.

 

Palate: I’ve never used this descriptor for a whisky’s texture, but gooey immediately came to mind. The front of my palate encountered raw honey, toffee, and caramel. The mid-palate had light cocoa and spiced apples. I tasted black pepper, cinnamon, and toasted oak on the back.

 

Finish: My gut reaction was that Virgin Oak Finish had a very long finish. I timed it; it ran 1:17, suggesting it was medium-long. Honey, black pepper, cinnamon, and spiced apples remained. It drank at right about its stated proof.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I’ve had single malts from Craigellachie before, and they tasted nothing like Virgin Oak Finish. That’s not a statement on quality; rather, this is so far off the beaten path that I would never have identified it as a Speyside Scotch. If I hadn’t known this was Scotch whisky, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what kind of whisky it was.

 

That places Virgin Oak Finish into the fascinating genre. I love unusual pours that don’t fit the mold; at that point, a whisky’s price becomes less relevant. I truly enjoyed this single-malt Scotch and believe you will, too. As such, it earned every bit of my Bottle rating.

 

◊◊◊◊◊

 

The Craigellachie 15 – White Port Finish

 

• Mashbill: 100% malted barley
• Age: 15 years
• Cooperage: 1^st fill Amontilado matured oak, 1^st fill White Port finish
• Alcohol Content: 64.2% ABV (128.4°)
• 700mL Price: $170.00
• Number of Bottles: 279

 

Appearance: The whisky’s color was similar to caramel. A thin rim produced slow, compact, sticky tears.

 

Nose: After allowing this Scotch time to breathe, I smelled black raisins, plums, cherries, honey, vanilla, and chocolate. Inhaling the vapor through my lips had me experience hazelnuts and cocoa (think Nutella).

 

Palate: White Port Finish possessed a velvety mouthfeel. Flavors of chocolate, plums, and cherries hit the front of my palate. Next came apricots, pineapples, and honey. The back featured white pepper, oak, and fresh leather.

 

Finish: The duration ran 1:21, making it medium long. Nutmeg, oak, honey, plums, leather, and chocolate shouted for attention. As things began to level off, the finish became dry.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Craigellachie 15 White Port Finish drank nowhere near its stated proof; think about 20 points lower. It was flavorful, well-balanced, and easily sipped. It ticked all the boxes of a classic Speyside Single Malt, with plenty of fruit, honey, and a smidge of spice. The Port component added the complimentary notes of leather and chocolate.

 

White Port Finish lacked any unpleasant tastes or harsh heat, making it inviting to both Scotch fans and the Scotch Curious. It is worth the price of admission, meaning it takes my Bottle rating.

 

◊◊◊◊◊

 

Final Thoughts: Both expressions are lovely and worth picking up. If I could only choose one, it would be the Virgin Oak Finish due to its uniqueness. 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 to do so responsibly.