Cragganmore 36 Years Old 1989 Whiskyland Chapter Twenty Four (Decadent Drinks)

This Cragganmore was bottled by the independent Decadent Drinks, a 36 year old, distilled in 1989, bottled at 51.8%, one of 158 bottles. Cragganmore, the Speyside Classic Malt, is prized for one of the most complex characters in the region. Its spirit stills are flat topped with a wide neck, an unusual shape that builds a complex, fragrant spirit.

Run through the distillery's unusual flat topped wide neck stills, for a meaty, fragrant make of real depth. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla beneath the savoury, malty character. Ethereal and old, decades draw the malt to a complex, waxy depth of sotolon, old oak and dried fruit. The flat topped stills build a complexity that long maturation only deepens. Its malt has long been the heart of the Old Parr and McCallum's blends. The meaty, fragrant make rewards a long, patient maturation. It was the first distillery deliberately sited beside a railway, the Strathspey line carrying its whisky out.

At a natural 51.8% it is full and honeyed. Orchard fruit, malt and a warm spice, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run dried fruit, malt and a savoury edge. The finish is long, complex and savoury. This is a fragrant, dried fruit rich Speyside single malt.