Craigellachie 9 Year Old CWC Exclusive Casks

For this Craigellachie (which means Rocky Hill in Gaelic, by the way) I turn to David Stirk and his Creative Whisky Company. This was finished on a Pedro Ximenze cask and is bottled at the exact same ABV as the A.D. Rattray bottle. So let us keep water handy.

The PX dominates the rather delicate and florale Craigellachie character clearly. Candied syrup and something meaty easily overpower the caramelized apples, that struggle to surface. After breathing, that improves, though. A marmalade of red berries and strawberries rise up to my nostrils. Some bitter chocolate and almonds. Cappuccino. This is very pleasant and rich. With water the meaty side comes to the fore, which I do not consider a plus.

The attack is powerful and sweet with a truckload of fiery spices, nutmeg and ginger in the lead. A big dose of chilli peppers. Balsamico and Tabasco. Then the chocolate with nuts kick in, as does the candied syrup. No trace of any white fruit, though. Unless you add water. Then, contrary to the nose, it turns sweeter and brings back the apples.

The finish is full and warm, pleasantly long, spicy and sweet.

Not an easy malt, because the PX is so dominant that you can hardly recognize the distillery character. Having said that, this is just a damn fine dram! Around 50 EUR. Thanks, Imanuel.

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