January 11, 2016

They complained (well not really),
I retaliate (in a friendly way, I hope)

I sometimes get firendly messages from compadres who are not 100% happy with some of my scores, either because they’re too low, or because they’re too high for one given whisky (often the same whisky, mind you). And that happened several time with the newish Craigellachie 13 yo, which, I had thought, was worth 79 points. So I promised I’d try it again, and now’s the time. I believe it is a newer batch, but not too sure… And then, we’ll have other Craigellachies, as usual. Because this is Whiskyfun! (no kiddin’!)

Craigellachie 13 yo (46%, OB, batch #83-LH88 +/-2015)

Colour: gold (according to my older notes, the other one was paler). Nose: starts with some buttery porridge and muesli, goes on with plenty of overripe apples, and then displays notes of vanilla and a little cider. Or is that beer? Mouth: a little burnt grass, some overcooked apples, certainly quite some malt, and touches of bitter oranges. I find it a little kirschy, with notes of raw eau-de-vie. Even ‘Vorlauf’, as we say when we distil in Alsace. That’s right, the heads. Finish: quite long, a little bittersweet. Zests and candy sugar. I find the aftertaste a little bitter. Comments: no, I won’t change my score. As much as I enjoyed the 17, and just loved the 23, I just didn’t fall in love with the 13. A problem of lucky number? SGP:451 - 79 points.

Oh well, while we’re at it, let’s make this a genuine Craigellachie session! With young stuff and old stuff, and even rare old stuff. But first young!

Craigellachie 8 yo 2006/2015 (46%, Càrn Mor, Strictly Limited, hogsheads, 725 bottles)

From two casks. Càrn Mor often bottle very young malts, which is great when you’d like to know more about a distillate. On the other hand, some may be a little immature, let’s see… Colour: straw. Nose: I’d say this is the problem, not many Speysiders carry enough personality to get bottled both at a very young age, and unsherried. Some do, for sure (such as the sulphury or meaty ones), but many don’t. This may be an example, all I get is porridge, vanilla, apples, and pears. Sure we could try to play it smart and come up with other aromas, but that would pushing things too far. Mouth: same comments. Sweet apple juice, Williams pears, muesli, barley sugar, vanilla. This is certainly ‘good’, but the question remains ‘why?’ I mean, why bottle this as a very small batch and as a single malt? Finish: medium, sweet, a little sugary. Comments: the exact definition of a 75-pointer in my book. Very drinkable, and even good, but a tad boring. If I may. SGP:541 - 75 points.

Let’s look for more ‘personality’…

Craigellachie-Glenlivet 21 yo 1994/2015 (53.1%, Cadenhead, Wine Cask, Sauternes, 246 bottles)

… Indeed, or you could do a finishing… This one was transferred into a Sauternes barrique in 2006, so it is more double-maturation than a simple silly finishing. Colour: dark gold. Nose: clever. Provided your base, so your distillate, is somewhat neutral, Sauternes can do great things to it, as we’ve seen elsewhere (but we’ve seen clashes as well). Apricot pie, our beloved mirabelle plums, a touch of honey, a wee earthiness brought by the malt, some vanilla, and almost no odd spiciness from any super-active French oak (oak that’s good for wine isn’t obligatorily good for spirits, in my opinion). Rather autumn leaves, that’s great. With water: works. Ripe greengages. Mouth (neat): this is liquid lemon honey! I think the spirit is almost anecdotal, but it managed to extract and mingle with the Sauternes in a wonderful manner. Think quince jelly, Haribo’s best, mirabelle jam, apricots in syrup, and even tinned pineapples. And yet it’s not whorishly sweet, not at all. Very well done! With water: works. Orange juice. Finish: medium, sweet and fruity. Squeezed oranges and perhaps vitamin C tablets. Comments: I shouldn’t like this, and yet I do. Split personality syndrome? Should I see a shrink? SGP:741 - 89 points.

And one from one of the magical years?...

Craigellachie 24 yo 1972/1996 (52.4%, The Bottlers, cask #6571)

When we used to rank whisky bottlers with the Malt Maniacs, The Bottlers (aka Raeburn Fine Wines in Edinburgh) have always been very, very high. At the top! Most sadly, they stopped bottling whisky a long time ago, which I always found very sad. Colour: gold. Nose: liquid honey, like. A little barley syrup, some white chocolate, an obvious flowery side (yellow, nectar-rich flowers), and once again, all these ripe plums. With water: perhaps not the best swimmer ever? Some oak coming out. Some menthol as well, which I like. Mouth (neat): once again, this feeling of drinking honey blended with orange juice and plum jam. Sounds thickish, and yet it’s not. What’s absolutely a thrill is the way it unfolds on many tiny herbal flavours. Green tobacco, lemongrass, pollen, tangerines… The citrusy side keeps it fresh and lively, in a superb manner. With water: really, careful, not too much water. More vanilla, and some curious meaty/ham notes. Finish: medium, honeyed, with more plums and some vanilla. Comments: I was ready to go higher, that is to say above 90, but the way it swims did not please me a lot. He’s not Mark Spitz. Other than that, fab whisky by a fab bottler. SGP:651 - 89 points.

Session over… Unless we find an even older one. Rummage rummage… There!

Craigellachie-Glenlivet 37 yo 1962/2000 (48.2%, Cadenhead, Millenium bottling, 144 bottles)

A ‘small cream label’ that’s black instead of white/cream, but let us not stop there! We’ve already tried two or three old 1962s by Cadenhead, and both have been great, but they had been bottled much earlier. I find it amazing how Cadenhead, when they have/had a parcel of, say ten or twenty casks of one make, will gradually issue those casks within a 20 or even 30-year span, or even more. Because with whisky, rushing is a disease. Colour: pale gold. Nose: at first, it’s the same honey/ripe plums combination that we’re getting. But what’s coming next, that is to say a wide array of tiny herbs, some menthol-like, can only come will old age. Dill, mint, tar-like grasses, perhaps a little soapwort (very discreet soapy tones), then touches of metal, old tin box (which is very old Cadenhead), leather… It’s all getting drier and drier, but we’re almost watching a movie. It’s no picture-malt, it’s a movie-malt. Mouth: I’m surprised. I would have thought this would be a bed of honey and dried fruits, and yet its more aniseed that strikes first. Doesn’t happen often. Even pastis, and wormwood. Are we having absinth? Then rather some kind of earthy fudge, a rooty side (yup, gentian), and the earthiest pu-erh, it’s just that there isn’t any smoke in this one. Or very little, as in many older malt whiskies. Excuse me? Is it any good? You bet! Finish: long, the aniseed being joined by some fresh mint and a touch of lime. The freshness is impressive. Even more lime in the aftertaste, playing with the tip of your tongue. Comments: it needs your time, but it rewards you. To be honest I had never seen this bottle before. Bwah, so much still to learn (and so much still to taste). SGP:562 - 93 points.

Isn’t it great when some good friends gently start complaining about one of my humble scores?

Check the index of all Craigellachie I've tasted so far

They complained (well not really), I retaliate (in a friendly way, I hope)

They complained (well not really),
I retaliate (in a friendly way, I hope)