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Craigellachie 13 Year Old

Average score from 7 reviews and 11 ratings 85

Craigellachie 13 Year Old

Product details

  • Brand: Craigellachie
  • Bottler: Distillery Bottling
  • ABV: 46.0%
  • Age: 13 year old

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@talexander
Craigellachie 13 Year Old

Today we go to Day 2 of the Kensington Wine Market 2020 Whisky Advent Calendar, and it's one I have had before but haven't reviewed here: Craigellachie 13 Year Old.

The colour is a dark gold. Rich on the nose with burnt sugar, caramel apple, tons of cloves and grilled tropical fruit (think mango and pineapple). Blood orange. Dark honey. Seems like a lot of oak for thirteen years. Maltier with water. There's a sulphurous off-note I'm not crazy about, but it carries a lot of heft.

On the palate it's equally hefty with an oily mouthfeel, pretty serious oak, dark caramel, cinnamon and cloves, burnt orange peel and brown sugar. Walnuts. Baked apples and grilled pears. Overripe peaches. Medjool dates. Less sulphur than the nose, but it is hinted at here nevertheless. Water lifts the spice. Meaty and rich but retains elegance thanks to a malty background.

The finish is cigar ash, spices, charcuterie and tons of oak. It has a rough, dirty feel that reminds me a bit of the Millstone single malts I had yesterday, but here there is both a fruity elegance as well as some off-notes I'm not fond of. I remember liking the 17 Year Old more (which I had scored an 89) but still this is a nice old-fashioned style of scotch.

@talexander thank you for your review. I see this one about the same way that you do.

I heard celebrity brand rep Georgie Bell present this one plus 7 other Craigellachies going up in age to 32 years old, if I remember correctly. You are not imagining the sulphur. The Craigellachie brand reps actually brag about using inadequate amounts of copper in their stills to remove the sulphur.

The sulphur notes seemed to dissipate greatly in the Craigellachies I tasted above 20 years old. Those were pretty wonderful, though I would guess not inexpensive to purchase.

I also rated the Craigellachie 17 89/100 points, but the spent match sulphur was still faintly present. I'd love to try the 23 year (or older) expression but they tend to be quite cost prohibitive. Great review, as always. Those tropical fruits are really interesting.

@huineman

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 one doesn't seem to get a lot of love, but I'm with @Wierdo, I quite like it. I think @huineman scored it pretty much right on, although I don't get as much of the bitterness on the palate.

I quite enjoyed my bottle of Craigellachie 13 to the point that I've been thinking of grabbing another bottle. I wasn't blown away with it at first but the further I got down the bottle the more I appreciated it.

Quite an unusual profile for a Speysider being more dry and savoury.

@RianC

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.

W

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.

I've literally just finished tasting this alongside the Macduff and Glen Scotia 15 you sent and then saw your review.

It was probably my least favourite of the three to be honest and would agree that it's certainly pleasant and drinkable but it hasn't really set my taste-buds on fire. I also feel I added too much water but maybe it just doesn't take it that well?

I was getting quite a sour, white fruit thing on the nose a bit like under ripe apricots. Finish was nice though and longer than I expected with some lovely soft tannins. 85 seems about where I'd have it.

@RianC I think out of the 3 you mentioned I'd place the Craigellachie 3rd too.

@markjedi1

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.

A whisky that will have you wishing you bought a bottle of one of the "last great malts you've had before" rather than this laughing

That does sound disappointing. Not the unusual meaty character that has been described by some and has almost lured me into buying a bottle to try.

@vrudy6

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.

Great review! My dad has a bottle of the Craigellachie 17 that has yet to be opened and I am hoping it is similar to the 13 after reading your review.

Cheers.

@jerryclyde bitterness on the finish of Craigellachie 13? No surprise whatsoever. They brag about using insufficient copper in their stills to take out the sulphur. I did a Craigellachie nine-whisky class with celebrity brand ambassador Georgie Bell in which she went on and on and on about how proud they were of their sulphur.

The long-aged, viz. 20+ yo Craigellachies eventually lose almost all of that sulphur from the long wood aging. The younger Craigellachies, definitely to include the 13 yo, still have the sulphur present strongly.

@vrudy6

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.

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