Cragganmore 14 Years Old 1968 (Connoisseurs Choice)

A Cragganmore of a 14 year old chosen by the Elgin house Gordon and MacPhail, distilled in 1968, bottled at 40%. Cragganmore, the Speyside Classic Malt, is prized for one of the most complex characters in the region. Most of its make goes to blending, with a twelve year old the flagship single malt.

The spirit was made in copper stills whose flat tops build a complex make, building the distinctive Cragganmore style. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, vanilla and a soft honey behind the complex malt. By the integrating teens congeners fade and esters build, the complex, fragrant spirit growing rounder. A Port wood finish, the Distillers Edition style, adds plum and dark berry to the malt. The complex, fragrant spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its meaty, malty core. John Smith reputedly weighed over twenty stone and could not use the railway he loved, too large for the carriages.

Reduced to 40%, it is mellow. Dried fruit, malt and a savoury, fragrant depth, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft orchard fruit and a savoury malt sit behind the cask. The finish is long, complex and savoury. This is a fragrant Speyside single malt of real depth.