Cragganmore The Distillers Edition 12 Years Old 2005

This official Cragganmore, a 12 year old, from 2005, cask CggD-6569, at 40%. Cragganmore is a meaty, fragrant Speyside malt made on flat topped stills and worm tubs. Most of its make goes to blending, with a twelve year old the flagship single malt.

Drawn off flat topped stills cooled by worm tubs, for the complex, fragrant make Cragganmore is known for. Double matured in Port wood, plum and dark berry meeting the meaty spirit. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin settling into vanilla as ethyl esters lend a riper orchard fruit over the meaty malt. The complex, fragrant spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its meaty, malty core. The distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith, the most experienced distiller of his day, who had run Macallan, Glenlivet and Glenfarclas. Worm tubs gave the new spirit its weight, the cask then drawing out fruit and depth.

At an approachable 40% it is soft and easy. A complex, malty fruitiness, with plum, red berry and chocolate from the cask. The mouthfeel is full, the fruit carried on a meaty, malty body. The finish is deep, fragrant and savoury. This is Cragganmore, the heart of Old Parr.