Craigellachie 2012/2023 Signatory Vintage 10 years old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 67,4%

Sixty-seven point four percent. Not many whiskies come out of the cask carrying numbers like that — and fewer still can hold them without burning.

Expert description

Craigellachie 2012/2023 Signatory Vintage 10 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in an oloroso butt and bottled at cask strength of 67.4% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The cask carries the number 900694, was filled on 4 September 2012 and emptied on 12 January 2023. The outturn was 610 bottles. Signatory Vintage was founded in 1988 by Andrew Symington and is among the most prolific independent bottlers in Scotland. Craigellachie makes a heavy, meaty spirit in worm tubs, and an oloroso butt over ten years lays dried fruit on top without being able to drown the minerality.

Tasting notes

Nose

Concentrated and dark. Raisin, fig and orange peel, with walnut, dark chocolate and a flinty note under the sherry.

Palate

Massive but not sharp. Dried fruit, cocoa and malt, with an oily texture carrying the alcohol. The sulphurous distillery edge cuts through the sweetness and gives direction.

Finish

Very long and dry, with nuts, dark fruit and a warm spiced close that keeps going.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 2012/2023 Signatory Vintage 10 years Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 67,4%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 67.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oloroso butt no. 900694
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 04/09/2012
Bottled: 12/01/2023
Number of bottles: 610
Edition: Cask Strength Collection
EAN no.: 5021944121571

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dried Fruit · Chocolate · Mineral · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. 610 bottles from one oloroso cask at unusually high strength. The combination of Craigellachie and active sherry is in demand, and the bottling will not return.

Did you know?

A cask strength of 67.4% after ten years means the cask lost very little alcohol along the way. That happens in cool, damp warehouses where water evaporates more slowly than alcohol — one reason Scottish warehouses often sit low and close to water.

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Frequently asked questions about Craigellachie 2012/2023 Signatory Vintage 10 years 67.4%

Is 67.4 percent too strong to drink?

Not if you approach it carefully. Taste a very small amount neat first, then add water drop by drop. The whisky changes markedly on the way, and most people find their point somewhere around fifty percent.

Why is the strength so high after ten years?

Because the cask lost little alcohol along the way. In cool, damp warehouses water evaporates faster than alcohol, so the percentage rises instead of falling.

What does the oloroso cask do?

It adds dried fruit, nuts and dark chocolate. On Craigellachie it works as a counterweight to the distillery's mineral, meaty core — the two push against each other rather than merging.

How many bottles exist?

The cask gave 610 bottles. The release comes from that single cask numbered 900694 and will not be repeated.

What does natural colour mean?

That no caramel colouring has been added. The dark colour in this bottle comes purely from the oloroso cask, a good sign that the wood was active.

Who are Signatory Vintage?

A Scottish independent bottling house founded in 1988 by Andrew Symington. They also own the Edradour distillery and are known for their Cask Strength Collection and Un-chillfiltered Collection.