Craigellachie 15 Years Old 2006 Cask #900174 (Daily Dram)

A 15 year old Craigellachie from the bottler Daily Dram, distilled in 2006, from cask 900174, bottled at 62.1%, one of 314 bottles. Craigellachie sits above Telford's famous Spey bridge, a Speyside distillery of real muscle. Its malt has long been the muscular heart of the White Horse blend.

The spirit was distilled in copper stills with worm tub condensers on Blue Hill spring water, for a bold, meaty Speyside spirit. An Oloroso hogshead lent fig, raisin and a savoury, nutty edge. In the oxidative middle years oxidation draws out a deeper tropical fruit, vanillin and lactones fully expressed. The slow loss of the angel's share concentrates the oily, tropical core over the years. A big sherry cask suits the muscular spirit, dried fruit meeting the meaty weight. The oily spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and tropical fruit over a meaty malt.

At a hearty 62.1% it carries real weight. Mango, wax and a meaty depth, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The texture is full and oily, the fruit lifted by a meaty weight. The finish is long, oily and savoury. This is Craigellachie's robust, oily Speyside style.