Craigellachie 19 Years Old Dumpy Bottle (Cadenhead’s)

From Scotland's oldest independent bottler Cadenhead's, a 19 year old Craigellachie, bottled at 46%. 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, for the muscular, meaty make Craigellachie is known for. A bourbon barrel held it, vanilla and a soft spice over the oily malt. Through oxidative maturity esters concentrate, the worm tub weight turning to mango and a waxy depth. Years in oak round the spirit, the worm tub weight turning to pineapple and wax. It was rebuilt in 1965, but kept its worm tubs where most distilleries dropped them. The meaty, oily spirit takes cask flavour well while keeping its robust, worm tub weight. The distillery was founded in 1891 by a group led by Peter Mackie, the man behind the White Horse blend.

Reduced to 46%, it is mellow. Meaty malt, tropical fruit and a waxy oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A baked fruit and a warm spice lift it. The close is long, fruit over a meaty malt. This is a meaty, tropical Speyside single malt.