Craigellachie 20 Years Old 1999 Cask #DL 13710 (Old Particular)

This Craigellachie was bottled by the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, a 20 year old, distilled in 1999, from cask DL 13710, bottled at 51.5%, one of 208 bottles. Craigellachie is a robust, oily Speyside single malt made on worm tub condensers. It sits at the village of Craigellachie, where the River Fiddich joins the Spey by Telford's iron bridge.

The spirit was made in copper stills whose worm tubs build a robust make, to build a robust, sulphurous, full bodied character. A sherry butt held it, the wood lending raisin and walnut to the robust spirit. At oxidative maturity aldehydes and esters lend tropical fruit while ellagitannins add a drying, savoury grip. Long ageing turns the young, sulphurous spirit towards mango, wax and a warm spice. The official range runs a thirteen, seventeen and twenty three year old, with rare older bottlings.

At a natural 51.5% it is full and honeyed. Malt, dried fruit and a savoury oil, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run meaty malt, tropical fruit and a waxy oil. The finish is long, oily and savoury. This is the muscular, meaty Speyside malt of Craigellachie.