Craigellachie is a Speyside distillery, within the coronary heart of the area, which is atypical of the lighter type of whisky popularised within the Seventies to the 2000s.
Lightly peated and funky Benromach bucks this pattern, as does Mortlach which is usually additionally described as a meaty spirit. Craigellachie is understood to be fairly sulphurous, which provides a layer of complexity to the palate. As Craigellachie is often offered with a heavy sherry affect, the sulphur might be fairly nicely built-in with the sherry and add richness reasonably than any “off” notes sometimes related to the ingredient. It’s additionally a heavy spirit in that it’s thick and oily even at the usual official bottling energy of 46% ABV.
The present vary as we all know it has solely been round since roughly 2013-14, when house owners Bacardi started to make the distillery extra broadly obtainable as a single malt. The daring however trendy typeface and heavy premium bottle had been definitely on pattern on the time, and lots of different distilleries have adopted go well with since.
The usual 13 yr outdated presents loads of flavour for the worth level, whereas there’s a massive bounce as much as the 17 yr outdated. The 13 yr outdated commonplace launch was reviewed by a relative newcomer to whisky on the Dramface evaluation web site and located to be a welcome change from the usual “approachable” malts.
I feel we will say that Craigellachie walks that high-quality line between being approachable and having adequate depth to enchantment to the extra seasoned whisky drinker. Past these teenage-age-statements costs get slightly foolish; solely the richest whisky budgets will stretch to those bottles. Indie casks can crop up infrequently and are price making an attempt as Jigs discovered.
The distillery character is usually attributed to using worm tubs. These are historically massive picket vessels filled with water during which the whisky passes through coiled copper pipes to chill on its journey to the spirit protected. Spirit throughout the nonetheless will more and more grow to be purer as heavy compounds proceed to interrupt down as a result of prolonged interplay with the copper. Worms are additionally made out of copper, however the affect is much less important than the impact of fast cooling that captures the remaining heavy compounds and provides texture. As with something there are exceptions to the final rule. Worm tubs are advanced equipment permitting for adjustments to the stream of contemporary water and due to this fact the affect of the cooling impact.
Set up of the worm at Craigellachie. Photograph courtesy of Salty Breeze TW.
Different distilleries with worm tubs embody Talisker, the brand new Rosebank, Royal Lochnagar, Dalwhinnie, Edradour, Oban, Glenkinchie, Springbank and Pultney. In Speyside itself, Balmenach, Benrinnes, Glen Elgin, Speyburn, Ballandalloch, and Cragganmore, Mortlach and naturally Craigellachie all have worm tubs. Not all produce a heavy type of spirit. Dalwhinnie is often a lighter dram and Ballandalloch runs its worm tubs fairly heat leading to a lighter fruiter type because the copper-vapour response continues for longer. Once I consider Speyburn I by no means consider heavy spirit however, in actuality, I’ve had little or no on which to kind such an opinion, and it could be influenced by closing presentation when bottled.
Craigellachie has one other trick up its sleeve with regards to the meaty wealthy sulphurous be aware: the Glenesk maltings. Maltings are a side hardly ever championed by distilleries until they’ve their very own in-house conventional flooring maltings. They’re essential to Craigellachie, although, because the distillery has unique use of the one oil-fired malting drum at Glenesk. I assume the opposite drums could have been transformed to gasoline firing. The oil firing leaves the grain with adequate sulphurous notes to be detectable within the matured spirit.
Glenesk Maltings.
The most recent improvement within the core vary is a restricted assortment of cask finishes. For this preliminary launch, the spirit is initially matured in refill and recharred bourbon barrels after which completed in Bas Armagnac casks from the Gascony area in France. The press launch instructed that Armagnac can be distilled with using worm tubs and it might seem that this has been the theme for the prolonged sequence of releases. Nonetheless, a extra detailed evaluation of the method demonstrates important variations between Aramgnac wine heaters and coolers and the worm tub, however there are certainly similarities.
Distillation and getting old – Armagnac.
The spirit was launched on the Speyside Whisky Competition on the finish of April and might nonetheless be discovered within the UK at most of the massive retailers, suggestive of a big outturn of bottles. The workforce at Craigellachie ought to be applauded for releasing particular bottles in massive numbers, because it places off the flippers and rewards the drinkers. Glen Scotia do the identical with their Campbeltown Competition releases. as did Tomatin with their French Assortment
Cognac distillation equipment.
Bas Armagnac is a kind of French Brandy from a particular appellation or area. Usually alembic stills are used, a cross between commonplace pot stills and column stills. For a extra detailed abstract head to Frank’s article.
Alembic stills are used for quite a few different spirits together with Calvados, which features a water cooling system just like a worm tub. Cognac additionally makes use of a serpentin(e) association and wine heater, so it might make a protected guess as one of many subsequent finishes on this sequence from Craigellachie. Rums, however, sometimes use double retort stills and condensers, and so are unlikely to characteristic.
Craigellachie 13 Yr Outdated Bas Armagnac End – Assessment
46% ABV. £55.
Color: Pale gold.
On the nostril: Characteristically wealthy. with a touch of struck match sulphur. Heat wealthy vanilla crème patisserie, sweetness from brown sugar, then ripe apple, baked pastry, tart apple sauce, pear, completely ripe peach, some mushy baking spices, and a contact of limestone. Onerous nectarine and white grapes give a vivid fruitiness.
Within the mouth: Initially unexpectedly nondescript, however this dram actually opened up after the bottle had been open every week or so. The sulphurous facet is extra restrained than the nostril, giving physique and depth reasonably than a stand-alone distinct be aware. The physique is full. As soon as the fruits break via there may be bitter apple, baked toffee apple, fruity but in addition a bit peppery, there are numerous woody spices… maybe from the French oak? There are hints of rechar cask, and some notes shared with Tomatin Legacy, which has loads of rechar casks within the recipe. The end is pretty brief and dry with some extra minerality, the cubic chalk from an old style puncture restore package.
Conclusion:
An important various view of Craigellachie with out the sherry. The Armagnac end brings softness and roundness to the spirit however does under no circumstances overpower, permitting the spirit character to sing via. Rechar casks add one other layer of candy baked items and toffee flavour with out being too forceful. Fairly the summer time dram, broadly obtainable within the UK and simply £55. Comfortable days!
