Craigellachie 12 Years Old 2007 Cask #1978-309707 (Claxton’s)

This Craigellachie was bottled by the bottler Claxton's, a 12 year old, distilled in 2007, from cask 1978-309707, bottled at 55.3%, one of 340 bottles. Craigellachie is a robust, oily Speyside single malt made on worm tub condensers. Its malt has long been the muscular heart of the White Horse blend.

It was drawn off pot stills cooled by traditional worm tubs, building the old fashioned Craigellachie style. First fill bourbon gave a fuller vanilla and pineapple over the robust spirit. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the robust body turning fruitier. Long ageing turns the young, sulphurous spirit towards mango, wax and a warm spice. Worm tubs give little copper contact, so the new spirit is heavy and full, mellowing with time. The heavy, oily make is prized by blenders for the backbone it gives White Horse.

At its natural 55.3% it is concentrated. A robust, oily fruitiness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. It is robust and waxy, the muscular spirit shining through. A robust, malty finish ends on tropical fruit and a warm spice. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real character.