Craigellachie 8 Years Old 2008 Cask #311 (Meadowside Blending)

The bottler Meadowside Blending bottled this Craigellachie, an 8 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 311, bottled at 54.2%, one of 344 bottles. 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.

It was worked through stills and worm tubs for a muscular, oily spirit, building the old fashioned Craigellachie style. An Oloroso hogshead lent fig, raisin and a savoury, nutty edge. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin (vanilla) and toasted sugars (light caramel) over the meaty spirit, the worm tub character still struck match sharp. Worm tubs give little copper contact, so the new spirit is heavy and full, mellowing with time. Craigellachie is one of the last Speyside malts still built on worm tubs.

Bottled at a cask strength 54.2%, it is rich. A muscular, waxy sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Soft tropical fruit and a waxy malt sit behind the cask. The finish is deep, oily and savoury. This is Craigellachie's robust, oily Speyside style.