Cragganmore 16 Years Old 2000 (SMWS 37.86)

From the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, a 16 year old Cragganmore, distilled in 2000, from cask 37.86, bottled at 57.3%, one of 270 bottles. Cragganmore, the Speyside Classic Malt, is prized for one of the most complex characters in the region. John Smith reputedly weighed over twenty stone and could not use the railway he loved, too large for the carriages.

The spirit was made in copper stills whose flat tops build a complex make, for the complex, fragrant make Cragganmore is known for. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla over the complex spirit. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, fruit turning to dried fruit over a complex, malty body. Long ageing turns the fresh fruit towards dried fruit, fig, leather and a warm spice. The cool Speyside air gives a slow, even maturation, the flat topped stills' complexity deepening.

At a hearty 57.3% it carries real weight. Dried fruit, malt and a savoury, fragrant depth, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is fragrant and savoury, the complex spirit shining through. The finish runs fragrant, meaty and warm. This is a fragrant, dried fruit rich Speyside single malt.