Cragganmore 27 Years Old 1997 Vol. II (MacLean & Bruce)

A Cragganmore of a 27 year old chosen by the bottler MacLean & Bruce, distilled in 1997, bottled at 46.5%, one of 165 bottles. Cragganmore was built in 1869 beside the Strathspey Railway, a Speyside malt of real depth. Most of its make goes to blending, with a twelve year old the flagship single malt.

It was drawn off flat topped stills cooled by worm tubs, giving the meaty, malty spirit at its heart. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding a light honeyed vanilla. Through the evaporative decades the spirit concentrates, esters folding into dried fruit, leather and a warm spice. The complex, fragrant spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its meaty, malty core. It is often called one of the most complex of all the Speyside malts. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the meaty malt. A Port wood finish, the Distillers Edition style, adds plum and dark berry to the malt.

Reduced to 46.5%, it is mellow. A fragrant, savoury sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked fruit and a warm spice lift it. A full, malty finish ends on dried fruit and a warm spice. This is a fragrant, dried fruit rich Speyside single malt.