Cragganmore 29 Years Old 1986 Cask #1490 (Adelphi)

This Cragganmore was bottled by the Adelphi bottler, a 29 year old, distilled in 1986, from cask 1490, bottled at 59.2%, one of 166 bottles. Cragganmore, on the River Spey at Ballindalloch, is the heart malt of the Old Parr blend. Its spirit stills are flat topped with a wide neck, an unusual shape that builds a complex, fragrant spirit.

The spirit was made in copper stills whose flat tops build a complex make, building the distinctive Cragganmore style. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla over the complex spirit. Through the evaporative decades the spirit concentrates, esters folding into dried fruit, leather and a warm spice. A Port wood finish, the Distillers Edition style, adds plum and dark berry to the malt. Water comes from the Craggan Burn, off the slopes of Craggan More hill. Refill oak lets the complex Cragganmore character lead, malt and dried fruit beneath.

Bottled at a cask strength 59.2%, it is rich. 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 runs fragrant, meaty and warm. This is the complex Speyside Classic Malt of Cragganmore.