Complex Cragganmore from Malts of Scotland
For the debut of Cragganmore on this little blog we have found a nice sample of an about 20 years old expression. This well-known Speyside distillery if one of the original Classic Malts selected by Diageo to showcase regions in Scotland. Even though Cragganmore produces a not so standard spirit with a rough edge here and there, not many bottles have found their way to my shelves. In general, I feel like Cragganmore flies a little bit under the radar. Same goes for Glenkinchie, the Lowland contribution to the Classic Malts. In the past, some special releases were tremendous, I remember an official 17 years old that I should have stocked up on. But coulda, woulda, shoulda, right? Let us do some tasting!
Cragganmore 1999, bottled at 51,2 % abv by Malts of Scotland
First things first: The cask with reference number MoS 19038 produced 213 bottled when this Cragganmore was bottled in 2019. Maturation took place in a bourbon hogshead.
Upon Sipping: Lots of vanilla in the opening salvo of this Cragganmore, but there is the slightest hint of sulphur in the background. Or, let me try to narrow it down, copper coins perhaps? Hints of coriander, herbal tea, a mint julep cocktail and then back to vanilla. Quite complex. On the palate, this Cragganmore shows muscles as well, with these copper coins very upfront on the taste buds. It feels like this bottle should be in the arsenal of a cook who likes to season his food with strong herbs. What a strong backbone on this malt, amazing. The finish is tad too bitter for me, showing the interplay with the wood, but it is well integrated and part of the complex drawing we see here.
With water, the Cragganmore nose closes up a little. We let it rest while we take another sip. Now, the vanilla is more present on the palate, and more fruit rises up in its wake. It remains totally left field. Lots of spices, almost like an unpeated Talisker at times. Cragganmore, with its weird flat top stills, always had something of a cantankerous reputation, like alchemists create potions there, and it is very rewarding to wrestle with it. The finish gives more vanilla spices now, and remains clean.
Word to the Wise: Intellectual whisky, I have to say. Straightforward maturation in a bourbon cask but it did not become “dime a dozen”. The added complexity of roughly 20 years in the wood created something very interesting, to brood over in the nighttime.
Score: 86 points.