Cragganmore 14 Years Old Ses Finest Highland Malt (Sestante)

The bottler Sestante bottled this Cragganmore, a 14 year old, bottled at 40%. Cragganmore is a Speyside distillery at Ballindalloch, one of the original Classic Malts, known for its complex character. The Distillers Edition is finished in Port wood, the house double matured expression.

The spirit was run through the distillery's unusual flat topped wide neck stills, for the complex, fragrant make Cragganmore is known for. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla beneath the savoury, malty character. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the savoury body fuller and deeper. The cool Speyside air gives a slow, even maturation, the flat topped stills' complexity deepening. The clean spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and fruit over a savoury malt. Its spirit stills are flat topped with a wide neck, an unusual shape that builds a complex, fragrant spirit.

At an approachable 40% it is soft and easy. Orchard fruit, malt and a warm spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. The texture is full and complex, the fruit lifted by a meaty malt. Dried fruit, malt and a savoury oak see out the finish. This is Cragganmore's fragrant, meaty Speyside style.