Although Bacardi is trying to lift Craigellachie out of obscurity by launching a new line of single malts from the Speyside distillery, it is still a fairly unknown whisky. Single cask bottlings used to be about the only way to ever try something from Craigellachie distillery. And the one I’m reviewing today is very obscure indeed, with it being bottled exclusively for Israeli travel retail and all. It was released under the Hunter Laing-label, and with a bit of luck I managed to google my way to a shoplink (here is the other one I could find), where I could make out the casknumber. But that’s about all I could find out.
So let’s get to my tasting notes! What? You’d first like to know where in the world I dug up an Isreali travel retail exclusive? Simple: I received a sample from Michael who lives in Tel Aviv and blogs at maltandoak.com. Thanks mate!
Craigellachie 2002/2014 (50%, Hunter Laing, C# 10473)
Nose: Caramel, fudge and toffee. Let’s see, what else? Nothing much really. Neither giving it more time nor adding water helped open up this nose for me. But the aromas it does give out are excellent. One-dimensional, but excellent.
Taste: Barbecue and a hint of smoke. Less sweet than the nose with some burnt caramel, although the fudge and toffee are present on the palate as well. Also some dark spices, cloves. And a bit of oakiness.
Finish: The finish is more of the same. Sweet fudge, some dark spices. A bit too short though.
Rating: 84
A nice youngish sherried Craigellachie. Not much depth, and especially the nose lacks complexity. But it is well-rounded without any rough corners, and offers a very pleasant drinking experience.
