Craigellachie 15 Years Old 2008 Cask #7539864 (Duncan Taylor)

This Craigellachie was bottled by the Huntly bottler Duncan Taylor, a 15 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 7539864, bottled at 54.7%, one of 86 bottles. Craigellachie is a Speyside distillery in the village of the same name, famous for its muscular, meaty single malt. The official range runs a thirteen, seventeen and twenty three year old, with rare older bottlings.

It was distilled for the heavy, meaty spirit Craigellachie is known for, for a bold, meaty Speyside spirit. Ex-Bourbon casks held it, the oak letting the oily, robust character lead. In the oxidative middle years oxidation draws out a deeper tropical fruit, vanillin and lactones fully expressed. The meaty, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its robust, worm tub weight. With age the meaty young spirit turns to pineapple, mango and a waxy depth.

At a hearty 54.7% it carries real weight. Meaty malt, tropical fruit and a waxy oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft tropical fruit and a waxy malt sit behind the cask. A robust, malty finish ends on tropical fruit and a warm spice. This is Craigellachie, the meaty heart of White Horse.