Craigellachie 7 Years Old 2014 Cask #620 (Whiskymax)

A Craigellachie of a 7 year old chosen by the bottler Whiskymax, distilled in 2014, from cask 620, bottled at 46.5%. Craigellachie is an old fashioned Speyside malt, full bodied and sulphurous in youth, tropical with age. Its malt has long been the muscular heart of the White Horse blend.

It was drawn off pot stills cooled by traditional worm tubs, building the old fashioned Craigellachie style. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, vanilla and a tropical fruit over the meaty spirit. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and lactones a coconut, the spirit heavy, oily and robust. Craigellachie is one of the last Speyside malts still built on worm tubs. Bacardi's John Dewar and Sons bought it in 1998, alongside Aberfeldy, Aultmore and Royal Brackla. A big sherry cask suits the muscular spirit, dried fruit meeting the meaty weight. It was rebuilt in 1965, but kept its worm tubs where most distilleries dropped them.

At an approachable 46.5% it is soft and easy. Mango, wax and a meaty depth, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A dried fruit and a savoury, oily depth give it weight. The finish runs meaty, waxy and warm. This is the muscular, meaty Speyside malt of Craigellachie.