Craigellachie 14 Years Old 2002 Cask #900600 (A.D. Rattray)

A 14 year old Craigellachie from A.D. Rattray, distilled in 2002, from cask 900600, bottled at 55.9%, one of 322 bottles. Craigellachie is a robust, fruity Speyside single malt from the heart of the region. The official range runs a thirteen, seventeen and twenty three year old, with rare older bottlings.

It was made in copper stills whose worm tubs build a robust make, to build a robust, sulphurous, full bodied character. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, the wood adding vanilla and a waxy tropical fruit. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the robust body turning fruitier. Years in oak round the spirit, the worm tub weight turning to pineapple and wax. Long ageing turns the young, sulphurous spirit towards mango, wax and a warm spice. The oily spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and tropical fruit over a meaty malt. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the meaty malt.

At a hearty 55.9% it carries real weight. A heavy, oily maltiness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Pineapple, malt and a savoury wax fill the middle. The finish is long, oily and savoury. This is a meaty, tropical Speyside single malt.