Cragganmore 30 Years Old 1986 Cask #1491 (Adelphi)

A 30 year old Cragganmore from the Adelphi bottler, distilled in 1986, from cask 1491, bottled at 58.5%, one of 177 bottles. 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.

It was distilled in flat topped stills with worm tub condensers on Craggan Burn water, for a meaty, fragrant make of real depth. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, vanilla and a soft honey behind the complex malt. At a great, fragile age oxidation rules, sotolon lending maple and old oak as leather and a savoury depth linger. Worm tubs gave the new spirit its weight, the cask then drawing out fruit and depth. A Port wood finish, the Distillers Edition style, adds plum and dark berry to the malt. The distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith, the most experienced distiller of his day, who had run Macallan, Glenlivet and Glenfarclas.

At a hearty 58.5% it carries real weight. 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. The close is long, fruit over a complex malt. This is Cragganmore's fragrant, meaty Speyside style.