Craigellachie Exceptional Cask Series 23 Years Old 1995

This official Craigellachie, a 23 year old, from 1995, cask Batch CR 1995, at 46%, 5400 bottles in all. Craigellachie, where the Fiddich meets the Spey, is the meaty backbone of the White Horse blend. With age the meaty young spirit turns to pineapple, mango and a waxy depth.

It was distilled for the heavy, meaty spirit Craigellachie is known for, for a bold, meaty Speyside spirit. Maturation came in ex-Bourbon wood, the oak quiet behind the heavy spirit. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend a drying structure while oxidation builds a richer, waxier fruit. A big sherry cask suits the muscular spirit, dried fruit meeting the meaty weight. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and coconut over the meaty malt. Water comes from a local spring in the Blue Hill area above the village. Its malt has long been the muscular heart of the White Horse blend.

Reduced to 46%, it is mellow. A muscular, waxy sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Soft tropical fruit and a waxy malt sit behind the cask. The close is long, fruit over a meaty malt. This is the muscular, meaty Speyside malt of Craigellachie.