Craigellachie 11 Years Old 2009 Cask #305809 (Signatory)

The Pitlochry bottler Signatory Vintage bottled this Craigellachie, an 11 year old, distilled in 2009, from cask 305809, bottled at 59%, one of 604 bottles. Craigellachie, where the Fiddich meets the Spey, is the meaty backbone of the White Horse blend. The distillery was founded in 1891 by a group led by Peter Mackie, the man behind the White Horse blend.

The spirit was worked through stills and worm tubs for a muscular, oily spirit, for the muscular, meaty make Craigellachie is known for. Ex-Sherry wood added a dried fruit richness to the heavy, meaty malt. In integration lactones (coconut) and vanillin (vanilla) knit with the malt, the worm tub weight softening to tropical fruit. Craigellachie is one of the last Speyside malts still built on worm tubs. The official range runs a thirteen, seventeen and twenty three year old, with rare older bottlings.

At a hearty 59% it carries real weight. A robust, oily fruitiness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A dried fruit and a savoury, oily depth give it weight. Tropical fruit, malt and a savoury oak see out the finish. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real character.