Craigellachie 15 Years Old 2007 Cask #DL 15636 (Old Particular)

From the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, a 15 year old Craigellachie, distilled in 2007, from cask DL 15636, bottled at 48.4%, one of 318 bottles. Craigellachie is the bold, oily Speyside malt that anchors the White Horse blend. It sits at the village of Craigellachie, where the River Fiddich joins the Spey by Telford's iron bridge.

The spirit was worked through stills and worm tubs for a muscular, oily spirit, to build a robust, sulphurous, full bodied character. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanilla and pineapple beneath the muscular malt. In the oxidative middle years oxidation draws out a deeper tropical fruit, vanillin and lactones fully expressed. Most Craigellachie goes quietly into blends, a robust filler kept in part as single malt. The distillery was founded in 1891 by a group led by Peter Mackie, the man behind the White Horse blend. Years in oak round the spirit, the worm tub weight turning to pineapple and wax.

Bottled at a cask strength 48.4%, it is rich. Malt, dried fruit and a savoury oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked fruit and a warm spice lift it. The finish runs meaty, waxy and warm. This is a meaty, tropical Speyside single malt.