Craigellachie 20 Years Old 2002 (SMWS 44.172)

From the bottler Scotch Malt Whisky Society, a 20 year old Craigellachie, distilled in 2002, from cask 44.172, bottled at 56.7%, one of 274 bottles. Craigellachie is the bold, oily Speyside malt that anchors the White Horse blend. Worm tubs give little copper contact, so the new spirit is robust and full, mellowing to tropical fruit with age.

The spirit was distilled in copper stills with worm tub condensers on Blue Hill spring water, building the old fashioned Craigellachie style. 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. Most Craigellachie goes quietly into blends, a robust filler kept in part as single malt. Craigellachie is one of the last Speyside malts still built on worm tubs. The oily spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and tropical fruit over a meaty malt.

At cask strength 56.7% it is full bodied. A robust, oily fruitiness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Pineapple, malt and a savoury wax fill the middle. It finishes robust, waxy and warm. This is the muscular, meaty Speyside malt of Craigellachie.