Craigellachie 18 Years Old 1995 Cask #DL 10419 (Old Particular)

The Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing bottled this Craigellachie, an 18 year old, distilled in 1995, from cask DL 10419, bottled at 48.4%, one of 252 bottles. Craigellachie was built in 1891 and is one of the few distilleries still using worm tubs. It was rebuilt in 1965, but kept its worm tubs where most distilleries dropped them.

Distilled in copper stills with worm tub condensers on Blue Hill spring water, for the muscular, meaty make Craigellachie is known for. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut to the robust spirit. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, the worm tub weight turning to mango and a waxy depth. Years in oak round the spirit, the worm tub weight turning to pineapple and wax. The official range runs a thirteen, seventeen and twenty three year old, with rare older bottlings.

At its natural 48.4% it is concentrated. Pineapple, malt and a savoury edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run meaty malt, tropical fruit and a waxy oil. A robust, malty finish ends on tropical fruit and a warm spice. This is the muscular, meaty Speyside malt of Craigellachie.