Craigellachie 14 Years Old 2007 Cask #HL 19138 (Old Malt Cask)

A Craigellachie of a 14 year old chosen by the independent Hunter Laing, distilled in 2007, from cask HL 19138, bottled at 50%, one of 338 bottles. Craigellachie sits above Telford's famous Spey bridge, a Speyside distillery of real muscle. Worm tubs give little copper contact, so the new spirit is robust and full, mellowing to tropical fruit with age.

The spirit was drawn off pot stills cooled by traditional worm tubs, building the old fashioned Craigellachie style. Maturation in an Oloroso cask laid dried fruit over the meaty, oily malt. Integration folds eugenol (clove) and vanillin (vanilla) into the malt, the robust body turning fruitier. The meaty, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its robust, worm tub weight. Most Craigellachie goes quietly into blends, a robust filler kept in part as single malt. The cool Speyside air gives a slow, even maturation, the young sulphur fading to fruit.

At a hearty 50% it carries real weight. A heavy, oily maltiness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Soft tropical fruit and a waxy malt sit behind the cask. The finish is deep, oily and savoury. This is Craigellachie's robust, oily Speyside style.