Craigellachie 8 Years Old 2013 Cask #DL 15479 (Provenance)

An 8 year old Craigellachie from the Glasgow bottler Douglas Laing, distilled in 2013, from cask DL 15479, bottled at 46%, one of 924 bottles. Craigellachie sits above Telford's famous Spey bridge, a Speyside distillery of real muscle. It was rebuilt in 1965, but kept its worm tubs where most distilleries dropped them.

The spirit was distilled in copper stills with worm tub condensers on Blue Hill spring water, for the muscular, meaty make Craigellachie is known for. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the heavy spirit. 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. Most Craigellachie goes quietly into blends, a robust filler kept in part as single malt. Long ageing turns the young, sulphurous spirit towards mango, wax and a warm spice.

At 46% it is smooth and honeyed. Malt, dried fruit and a savoury oil, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft tropical fruit and a waxy malt sit behind the cask. The finish is deep, oily and savoury. This is Craigellachie, the meaty heart of White Horse.