A blend normally holds dozens of whiskies. The Double Single holds two. One single malt and one single grain, and after that there is nothing left to hide behind.

Expert description

Compass Box The Double Single 10th Anniversary Limited Edition is a Blended Scotch Whisky bottled at 53.3% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The original Double Single arrived in 2010 built on exactly two components, which is where the name comes from. This anniversary edition marks ten years on and is bottled at cask strength rather than the usual strength, which makes it fuller and more intense without breaking the idea. The concept is unchanged: as few moving parts as possible, so you can taste precisely what the malt and the grain each contribute.

Tasting notes

Nose

Golden and layered. The natural sweetness of cereal first, then creamy vanilla, honey and ripe apples, with a light citrus freshness and a suggestion of smoke underneath.

Palate

Full and velvety. Honey, vanilla and ripe pear meet citrus and dark caramel, while the malt base gives depth and a touch of spiced smoke. The strength warms without cutting.

Finish

Long and warm, with cereal, vanilla, light oak and a dry spiced close.

Specifications

Name: Compass Box The Double Single 10th Anniversary Limited Edition Blended Scotch Whisky 53,3%
Bottler: Compass Box
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 53.3%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: The Double Single 10th Anniversary Limited Edition

Flavour profile

Creamy · Honeyed · Vanilla · Lightly Smoked · Cask Strength

Investment potential

High. A limited edition at cask strength, built on a concept the house rarely returns to. Anniversary releases from Compass Box have historically sold out quickly.

Did you know?

The word blend has been used as an insult among malt enthusiasts for decades. The Double Single was made as a counter-argument: two components, full transparency about the recipe, and a whisky that shows what grain can actually contribute when it is good enough.

See our full range of Compass Box Blended Whisky

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Twelve years of maturation gives Connemara's peated style extra depth, without losing the rustic, earthy character the brand is known for.

Expert Review

Connemara 12 Year Old is a peated Irish Single Malt Whiskey matured for 12 years, bottled at 40%.

The whiskey builds on Connemara's signature style, where the malt is dried over peat fire following Irish tradition. With 12 years of maturation, the peat character has time to merge with notes of honey, malt and oak, giving a more complex and full-bodied experience than the brand's younger release. The whiskey shares the same light, golden colour, but a deeper and more rounded flavour profile.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Smoky peat with mature notes of honey and oak.

Palate

Full and complex, with malt, dried fruit and a warm peat character.

Finish

Long, gently smoky and lightly sweet.

Specifications

Name: Connemara 12 Year Old
Distillery: Connemara
Region/Country: Ireland
Type: Peated Irish Single Malt Whiskey
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5099357002497

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Full-bodied · Honeyed · Peat-driven · Complex

Did You Know?

Connemara is named after the rugged and beautiful landscape in western Ireland, which lent its name to the whiskey's rustic, earthy character.
See our full range of Connemara

Most Irish whiskeys avoid peat, but Connemara does the opposite, drawing inspiration from Ireland's older distilling traditions, where peat smoke was a natural part of the process.

Expert Review

Connemara Peated Irish Single Malt Whiskey is a peated Irish Single Malt Whiskey, bottled at 40%.

The whiskey draws inspiration from Ireland's older distilling traditions, where peat was often used to dry the malted grain, a practice now rare among Irish whiskeys. The malt is dried over peat fire, giving Connemara a velvety base character with a distinct yet balanced peat note. The whiskey has a light, golden colour and a silky palate.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Smoky peat with hints of heather and honey.

Palate

Silky, with honey, malt and dried fruit, balanced by peat and vanilla.

Finish

Medium, with a gentle, smoky close.

Specifications

Name: Connemara Peated Irish Single Malt Whiskey
Distillery: Connemara
Region/Country: Ireland
Type: Peated Irish Single Malt Whiskey
Age: Min. 3 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5099357002305

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Peat-driven · Honeyed · Silky · Floral

Did You Know?

Connemara is named after the rugged and beautiful landscape in western Ireland, which lent its name to the whiskey's rustic, earthy character.
See our full range of Connemara

Valby is not the first place you think of when you think single malt. But since 2017, Copenhagen Distillery has been distilling Danish malt in an industrial quarter south of the city centre, and the Refined Edition is the distillery's core expression. Batch No 1 from 2021 is one of the concrete results of that work.

Expert description

Copenhagen Distillery Refined Edition 2021 Batch No 1 is a Danish Single Malt Whisky at 54.9%, bottled at 50 cl with EAN number 5712922101035. It is the first batch from 2021 in the well-known Refined Edition series. Copenhagen Distillery was founded in Valby, Copenhagen, and is one of Denmark's most visible and well-regarded whisky producers. The distillery uses Danish malted barley and distils in copper pot stills. The Refined Edition is the distillery's acclaimed expression of balance and quality — a series that consistently represents Copenhagen Distillery's craft.

Tasting notes

Nose

Elegant and nuanced. Fresh fruit and malt with light vanilla and honey from the oak maturation. Citrus and a hint of light plum sweetness.

Palate

Full and well-rounded at 54.9%. Sweet malt and fruit with oak and spices. Complexity that matches the strength without dominating the palate.

Finish

Long and elegant. Sweetness and spice hold evenly and fade slowly.

Specifications

Name: Copenhagen Distillery Refined Edition 2021 Batch No 1
Distillery: Copenhagen Distillery
Region/Country: Denmark, Copenhagen
Type: Danish Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 54.9%
Size: 50 CL
Edition: Refined Edition 2021 Batch No 1
EAN no.: 5712922101035

Flavour profile

Elegant · Fruity · Vanilla · Balanced · Complex

Investment potential

Medium. Numbered batches from Copenhagen Distillery's Refined Edition series are limited in number and sought after by collectors and enthusiasts. Batch No 1 from 2021 is the first batch from that year and therefore historic in the distillery's series.

Did you know?

Copenhagen Distillery is located in Valby, historically known as one of Copenhagen's major industrial districts. That one of Denmark's most respected whisky producers is based in the middle of an old industrial neighbourhood is both ironic and symbolic of the growth of the Danish craft spirits movement.

See our full range of Copenhagen Distillery

A copper dog was a home-made tube that distillery workers dropped into casks to smuggle whisky out in a trouser pocket. The name is a nod to that small crime.

Expert description

Copper Dog is a Speyside Blended Malt Scotch Whisky built from eight distilleries and bottled at 40%.

All eight distilleries sit in Speyside, and the whisky is conceived as a distillation of the region's style rather than a portrait of one house. Copper Dog was developed at the bar of the Craigellachie Hotel, which is also where the name comes from — distillery workers used a small copper tube to draw an unauthorised sample from a cask. Diageo is behind the bottling.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fruit-driven and light. Apple, pear and honey first, then a lightly spiced note over a warm malted base.

Palate

Soft and round. Honey, ripe fruit and pale vanilla, with a touch of cinnamon and malt. There are no edges here — it is built to go down easily.

Finish

Short to medium, malty and lightly sweet, with a mild spiced warmth at the end.

Specifications

Name: Copper Dog Speyside Blended Malt Scotch 40%
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Edition: Copper Dog
EAN no.: 5000267165493

Flavour profile

Soft · Fruity · Honeyed · Malty · Unpeated

Did you know?

The Copper Dog Bar at the Craigellachie Hotel gave the bottle its name, and the hotel sits in the middle of Speyside with eight distilleries within reasonable walking distance. It is no accident that exactly eight malts ended up in the recipe.

See our full range of Copper Dog Whisky

Spirit from Cotswolds' very earliest years, singled out by the sharp-eyed independent bottler That Boutique-Y and captured on bottle while the whisky was still young and full of promise.

Expert's Description

Cotswolds 2018 That Boutique-Y Whisky Company is a 3 year old single malt English whisky bottled at 50.4% ABV.

The whisky was distilled at England's Cotswolds Distillery, but selected, further matured and bottled by the independent bottler That Boutique-Y Whisky Company. It is the bottler's very first batch from Cotswolds Distillery, distilled in 2018 and bottled in November that same year as Batch 1, in a run of 1,783 bottles. The malt is 100% locally grown Cotswolds barley.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Caramelised almonds, sweet pineapple and cherries, with a soft hint of vanilla underneath.

Palate

Citrus-driven, with notes of lemon, orange and grapefruit that give a fresh, sweet character.

Finish

Short to medium, with a lingering citrus freshness and a hint of youthful malt sweetness.

Specifications

Name: Cotswolds 2018 That Boutique-Y Whisky Company 3 Years Single Malt English Whisky
Distillery: Cotswolds Distillery
Bottler: That Boutique-Y Whisky Company
Region/Country: England
Type: Single Malt English Whisky
Age: 3 years
ABV: 50.4%
Size: 50 CL
Bottled: November 2018
Number of bottles: 1,783
Edition/Batch: Batch 1

Flavour Profile

Citrus · Almonds · Pineapple · Young malt sweetness

Did You Know?

This bottle was That Boutique-Y Whisky Company's very first release from Cotswolds Distillery — the starting point of a partnership that has since continued with several more batches from the young English distillery.

Browse our full range of Cotswolds Distillery
Browse our full range of That Boutique-Y Whisky Company

Late summer in the Cotswolds sits inside this bottle: sun-dried hay, honey and the faintest trace of smoke from a landscape freshly harvested.

Expert's Description

Cotswolds 2022 Golden Wold is a blended single malt English whisky matured across three cask types and bottled at 52.5% ABV.

Golden Wold is the opening release in Cotswolds Distillery's annual Harvest Series, a series built around the harvest itself, on the very fields where the distillery's barley is grown. The whisky combines spirit matured in bourbon casks, STR-treated (Shaved, Toasted, Re-charred) ex-red wine casks, and casks that previously held peated whisky, bottled in September 2022 in a run of 5,000 bottles.

The presentation tube carries original artwork by local artist Josephine Trotter, a tribute to the Cotswolds landscape the whisky is named after.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sun-warmed hay, caramelised honey and soft oaken vanilla, rounded off by a fleeting suggestion of smoke in the background.

Palate

Silky cream and custard meet toasted oak, cocoa nibs and warm baking spices for a full, rounded character.

Finish

Long and spiced, with a lingering sweetness from the honey and a dry, gently smoky close.

Specifications

Name: Cotswolds 2022 Golden Wold Blended Single Malt English Whisky
Distillery: Cotswolds Distillery
Region/Country: England
Type: Blended Single Malt English Whisky
ABV: 52.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon, STR ex-red wine casks & ex-peated casks
Non-chill filtered
Natural colour
Bottled: September 2022
Number of bottles: 5,000
Edition/Batch: Harvest Series No. 1
EAN no.: 5060404512207

Flavour Profile

Honey · Toasted oak · Baking spice · Hint of smoke

Investment Potential

Medium. Golden Wold is the opening release of a new annual series from Cotswolds Distillery, and a distillery's first entry in a series tends to attract collector interest once later editions follow.

Did You Know?

The tube is more than packaging — the artwork by Josephine Trotter was painted specifically for this release and depicts the very Cotswolds landscape the barley for the whisky was harvested from.

Browse our full range of Cotswolds Distillery

A detour through the Caribbean before the whisky lands back in the English countryside: cane sugar and ripe pears, wrapped in a robust 55.6%.

Expert's Description

Cotswolds 2022 Rum Cask Matured is a blended single malt English whisky matured in rum-seasoned casks and bottled at 55.6% ABV.

The whisky is the third release in Cotswolds Distillery's Hearts & Crafts series, which celebrates the craftsmanship tradition of the Arts & Crafts movement that flourished in the Cotswolds. The spirit is matured in rejuvenated French oak casks that previously held red wine and were subsequently seasoned with fine Caribbean rum, before being bottled in 2022 in a run of 3,000 bottles.

The tube is decorated with an exclusive William Morris-inspired design, a visual tribute to the series.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Soft cane sugar, ripe pears and a hint of tropical fruit, underpinned by warm oak.

Palate

A sweet rum character with brown sugar, banana and a touch of spice that gives the whisky body.

Finish

Long and warming, with a lingering sweetness from the rum casks and a gently spiced close.

Specifications

Name: Cotswolds 2022 Rum Cask Matured Blended Single Malt English Whisky
Distillery: Cotswolds Distillery
Region/Country: England
Type: Blended Single Malt English Whisky
ABV: 55.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Rejuvenated French ex-red wine casks seasoned with Caribbean rum
Non-chill filtered
Natural colour
Bottled: 2022
Number of bottles: 3,000
Edition/Batch: Hearts & Crafts series
EAN no.: 5060404512078

Flavour Profile

Cane sugar · Tropical fruit · Spice · Warm oak

Investment Potential

Medium. As the third release in the sought-after Hearts & Crafts series, this bottle holds natural appeal for collectors following the series from start to finish.

Did You Know?

The Hearts & Crafts series is named after the Arts & Crafts movement, which originated in the Cotswolds in the late 1800s and celebrated traditional craftsmanship over industrial mass production.

Browse our full range of Cotswolds Distillery

No detours, no extra cask types — just Cotswolds' own fruity spirit, left to mature quietly in American Kentucky casks until it grew intense enough to stand entirely on its own.

Expert's Description

Cotswolds Bourbon Cask is a single malt English whisky matured exclusively in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at cask strength, 59.1% ABV.

The whisky belongs to the distillery's Cask Expressions Collection and is made from 100% locally grown, traditionally floor-malted Cotswolds barley. The casks are selected first fill ex-bourbon barrels of American white oak from Kentucky, where the distillery's rich, fruity spirit has been left to mature undisturbed until bottled without chill filtration and with no added colour.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Honey, creamed coconut and crisp barley, spiced with gentle oak spices and a hint of shortbread.

Palate

Rich and creamy with toffee, caramel and citrus, followed by strawberry cream, baked orange and juicy pineapple.

Finish

Full-bodied and warming, with a lingering sweetness of caramel and a touch of spiced oak.

Specifications

Name: Cotswolds Bourbon Cask Single Malt English Whisky
Distillery: Cotswolds Distillery
Region/Country: England
Type: Single Malt English Whisky
ABV: 59.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: First fill ex-bourbon barrels, American white oak from Kentucky
Non-chill filtered
Natural colour
Edition/Batch: Small Batch Release, Cask Expressions Collection
EAN no.: 5060404511972

Flavour Profile

Honey · Coconut · Toffee · Pineapple

Did You Know?

The casks behind this release are 100% first fill ex-bourbon barrels from Kentucky — casks that have held bourbon only once before — which gives a far more active wood influence than a refill cask.

Browse our full range of Cotswolds Distillery

These are the distillery founder Dan's own favourite casks, gathered into one bottle at full cask strength — dark, fruity, with no filter between you and the spirit.

Expert's Description

Cotswolds Founder's Choice is a single malt English whisky bottled at cask strength, 60.5% ABV.

The whisky was Cotswolds Distillery's very first cask strength release and is made entirely from the distillery's own spirit, matured in STR-treated (Shaved, Toasted, Re-charred) ex-red wine casks of American oak. The casks were personally selected by the distillery's founder Dan, whose name the release carries, because they lend his fruity new make spirit an intense and active maturation.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dry and woody, with dark chocolate, dried figs, plums and a sweetness of syrup.

Palate

Fruity, with toffee, dark chocolate, dried figs and oak, underpinned by red berries.

Finish

Long and lingering, with chocolate and ripe red fruit staying on for a good while.

Specifications

Name: Cotswolds Founder's Choice Single Malt English Whisky
Distillery: Cotswolds Distillery
Region/Country: England
Type: Single Malt English Whisky
ABV: 60.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: STR ex-red wine casks of American oak

Flavour Profile

Dark chocolate · Dried figs · Toffee · Red berries

Did You Know?

Founder's Choice was Cotswolds Distillery's very first cask strength release, making it a landmark for how the distillery's spirit behaves with no water added at all.

Browse our full range of Cotswolds Distillery

The distillery's own team calls it "smoky vanilla ice cream" — a description that lands surprisingly well the moment you dip your nose into the glass.

Expert's Description

Cotswolds Peated Cask is a single malt English whisky matured in peat-influenced casks and bottled at cask strength, 60.2% ABV.

The whisky was the first peated release from the young English distillery and is made from 100% locally harvested Cotswolds barley, double distilled in traditional pot stills. The spirit is matured in ex-peated quarter casks originally from Islay in Scotland, giving the whisky a subtle smoky character without overpowering the distillery's own fruity house style. It is bottled without chill filtration and with no added colour.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Vanilla with hints of dried fruit and spice, gradually revealing a light, sweetish smoke.

Palate

Creamy smoke with fruit and a light, dry tannin that gives a fine counterpoint to the sweetness.

Finish

Long, smoky and floral, with a closing sweetness of honey.

Specifications

Name: Cotswolds Peated Cask Single Malt English Whisky
Distillery: Cotswolds Distillery
Region/Country: England
Type: Single Malt English Whisky
ABV: 60.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-peated quarter casks from Islay
Non-chill filtered
Natural colour

Flavour Profile

Smoke · Vanilla · Honey · Dried fruit

Did You Know?

The casks the whisky is matured in originally come from Islay in Scotland — meaning a piece of Scottish smoke tradition indirectly helps shape the character of this English whisky.

Browse our full range of Cotswolds Distillery

Custard cream biscuits and a still, quiet hint of orchard apples — that is how a Sunday afternoon in the Cotswolds begins, and how this whisky begins too.

Expert's Description

Cotswolds Reserve Small Batch Release is a single malt English whisky assembled in small batches and bottled at 50% ABV.

The whisky belongs to the distillery's Classics Collection and is made from 100% locally grown, floor-malted Cotswolds barley. The casks are premium first fill ex-bourbon barrels and STR (Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred) ex-red wine casks of American oak, where the bourbon casks contribute classic vanilla and honey notes while the red wine casks add richness, fruitiness and sweetness.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Custard cream biscuits, malted milk and juicy toffee popcorn, spiced with apples, pears and orange.

Palate

A punchy hit of malt and citrus spice, followed by waves of fudge, caramel and creamy custard.

Finish

Soft and gently nutty, with cinnamon and a lingering creaminess that rounds the flavour off nicely.

Specifications

Name: Cotswolds Reserve Small Batch Release Single Malt English Whisky
Distillery: Cotswolds Distillery
Region/Country: England
Type: Single Malt English Whisky
ABV: 50%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: First fill ex-bourbon barrels & STR ex-red wine casks of American oak
Non-chill filtered
Natural colour
EAN no.: 5060404511958

Flavour Profile

Vanilla · Honey · Caramel · Citrus spice

Did You Know?

Reserve belongs to the distillery's Classics Collection, designed as the most accessible entry point into Cotswolds Distillery's style, while the Small Batch Release label underlines that each batch varies slightly, since no two casks are ever quite the same.

Browse our full range of Cotswolds Distillery

Eight years in cask, 43 percent and a name from Leith. Crabbie belongs to the blends that were drunk a lot and kept a little — which is exactly why the surviving bottles are interesting.

Please note: The bottle is supplied without a carton.

Expert description

Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky is a Blended Scotch Whisky matured for at least 8 years and bottled at 43%.

John Crabbie & Co was based in Leith near Edinburgh and was as much a merchant house as a whisky producer. Age-stated blends were a quality marker in that period, and eight years meant even the youngest component had lost its edges. The 43% was standard for export bottlings and gives more body than today's 40%.

Tasting notes

Nose

Malt, cereal and dried fruit. Behind them sit honey, pale caramel and a trace of old wood.

Palate

Soft and rounded. Raisin, orange, malt and vanilla, with a lightly spiced warmth and a dry edge from the grain whisky.

Finish

Medium, dry and malty, with nuts and a hint of smoke right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky without carton 43%
Distillery: Crabbie
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 43 %
Size: 70 CL

Flavour profile

Soft · Malty · Dried Fruit · Cereal · Lightly Spiced

Investment potential

High. The release is discontinued, and older age-stated blends keep leaving the market as they get drunk.

Did you know?

Leith was Scotland's most important whisky port for more than a century. Casks were stored in warehouses along the quay and the blending houses sat close together — it was the harbour, not the distillery, that decided who could build a whisky business.

See our full range of Crabbie Whisky

Most people know the Crabbie name from ginger wine. Fewer know the Leith house also sold whisky — and that bottles from those days still turn up with the carton intact.

Expert description

Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky is a Blended Scotch Whisky matured for at least 8 years and bottled at 43%.

John Crabbie & Co was founded in Edinburgh in the early 1800s and became world famous for its green ginger wine, but the house also traded and blended whisky. This release comes with its original carton, which makes a noticeable difference to a collector, since packaging was rarely kept. The 43% strength and the eight year age statement place it in an era when blends were still bottled with a little more body than today.

Tasting notes

Nose

Malt and dried fruit first, then honey, pale caramel and a dusty note from the years in glass.

Palate

Round and malty. Raisin, orange peel, cereal and a little vanilla, with a warm spiced edge from the 43%. The mouthfeel is softer than today's standard blends.

Finish

Medium and dry, with malt, nuts and a lightly smoked close.

Specifications

Name: Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky with carton 43%
Distillery: Crabbie
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 43 %
Size: 70 CL
Edition: With carton

Flavour profile

Soft · Malty · Dried Fruit · Honeyed · Lightly Spiced

Investment potential

High. A discontinued release with an age statement and the original carton intact. Older blends carrying eight years on the label have become a niche collectors actively hunt.

Did you know?

John Crabbie began as a wine merchant and importer in Leith, Edinburgh's port. It was the harbour that gave access both to ginger from Asia and to the casks that later became whisky — two businesses grown from the same quayside.

See our full range of Crabbie Whisky

Named after a warehouse district in Leith, where one of Scotland's earliest whisky-blending ventures began.

Expert description

Crabbie's Yardhead Single Malt Whisky is a young Scotch Single Malt Whisky, bottled at 40%, designed for mixing into cocktails. Crabbie traces its roots to Edinburgh in 1801, when Miller Crabbie founded a merchant business later passed to his son John Crabbie. John Crabbie is regarded as an early pioneer of whisky blending, personally selecting whiskies for blending and bottling from across Scotland. 'Yardhead' is named after the area of Leith where Crabbie's original maturation warehouses stood in the 1820s. The brand disappeared in the early 20th century but was revived in 2017 under Halewood Wine & Spirits with a new range of limited edition single malts from the Highlands and Islands.

Tasting notes

Nose

The nose offers malt, honey and a hint of citrus.

Palate

The palate is light with grain, apple and a touch of spice.

Finish

The finish is short to medium, fresh and malty.

Specifications

Name: Crabbies Yardhead Single Malt Whisky
Bottler: Crabbie
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL

Flavour profile

Fresh · Malty · Light · Citrus-forward

Did you know?

The name Yardhead refers to the actual warehouse district in Leith where Crabbie stored and matured its whisky back in the 1820s, when the firm was among Scotland's early whisky-blending pioneers.

See our full range of Crabbie

An old warehouse in Ballindalloch, steam from short flat-topped pot stills and water from the Craggan Burn. This is Speyside as it was once bottled — in the big litre bottle with the yellow band.

Expert description

Cragganmore 12 years Old Version is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 40% in a litre bottle.

The release dates from the 1990s, when Cragganmore was still sold in the discontinued litre measure with a yellow duty band — a design collectors know and look for. The distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith, who sited it close to the Strathspey railway, locally known as The Whisky Line. Cragganmore still uses worm tub condensers, which almost nobody else does, and that is a large part of the reason for the heavy, complex house style.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sweet heather and meadow flowers first, then honey, vanilla and a dry nutty cereal note from the years in glass.

Palate

Soft and finely woven. Malt, honey, sandalwood and a touch of sweet wood smoke, carried by a lightly oily texture the modern bottlings do not quite reach.

Finish

Long and malty with sweet hints, dried herbs and a faint smoked warmth at the end.

Specifications

Name: Cragganmore 12 years 1 litre Old Version Single Speyside Malt Whisky 40%
Distillery: Cragganmore
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 100 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks
Edition: Old Version litre bottle with yellow duty band

Flavour profile

Soft · Malty · Honeyed · Complex · Lightly Smoked

Investment potential

High. The litre measure is discontinued, the yellow duty band is no longer used, and 1990s bottlings are only available to the extent that people kept them.

Did you know?

Cragganmore was built where it was because John Smith wanted the railway close by. The Strathspey line was called The Whisky Line, and the distillery got its own siding — whisky out, barley and coal in, without touching the poor roads.

See our full range of Cragganmore Whisky

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When Diageo picked six distilleries in 1988 to represent Scotland's regions, the Speyside seat went to Cragganmore. Not the biggest name — but the most complex.

Please note: Wear on the carton.

Expert description

Cragganmore 12 years Classic Malts Old Version is a Highland Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 40% in a litre bottle.

The bottle comes from the Classic Malts of Scotland range in an older guise, when the label still said Highland Malt — Speyside was only recognised as a region in its own right much later. The litre measure has long been discontinued, and the carton is included, though it carries the marks of the years. Cragganmore sits in Ballindalloch and has since 1869 distilled with short flat-topped pot stills and worm tub condensers, giving a heavier and more layered spirit than the regional average.

Tasting notes

Nose

Heather, honey and dried herbs. Below them sit malt, vanilla and a lightly resinous note from the oak.

Palate

Soft and layered. Sweet malt, honey, apple compote and a touch of smoke, with a dry spiced edge keeping the sweetness in place.

Finish

Long and dry, with malt, nuts and a persistent herbal warmth.

Specifications

Name: Cragganmore 12 years Classic Malts Old Version Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky 100 cl 40%
Distillery: Cragganmore
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 100 CL
Edition: Classic Malts of Scotland Old Version
EAN no.: 5000281003597

Flavour profile

Soft · Malty · Honeyed · Herbal · Lightly Smoked

Investment potential

High. Both the litre measure and the old Classic Malts presentation are discontinued, and complete examples with the carton grow scarcer every year.

Did you know?

The Classic Malts range launched in 1988 and did more than anything else to teach drinkers that Scotch has regions. Before it, single malt was to most people simply something that went into blends.

See our full range of Cragganmore Whisky

Listen to our podcast:

Flat-topped pot stills and copper worm tubs. Two old-fashioned choices Cragganmore has never changed — and the entire reason the whisky does not taste like its neighbours.

Expert description

Cragganmore 12 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 40%.

The distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith at Ballindalloch and still draws water from the Craggan Burn alongside it. The unusual part is the equipment: the pot stills have short, flat-topped necks, and condensing happens in worm tubs rather than modern shell-and-tube condensers. Both give less copper contact, and the result is a heavier, more layered spirit. The 12 year old is the core expression and Speyside's seat in Diageo's Classic Malts range.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sweet herbs and meadow flowers, honey and vanilla. Behind them sit a dry malted cereal note and a trace of resin.

Palate

Strongly malted for a 40% whisky. Honey, poached apple and sandalwood, with a suggestion of sweet wood smoke arriving mid-palate.

Finish

Long and malty with sweet hints and a mild herbal dryness at the close.

Specifications

Name: Cragganmore 12 years Single Speyside Malt Whisky 40%
Distillery: Cragganmore
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks
EAN no.: 5000281005430

Flavour profile

Soft · Malty · Honeyed · Herbal · Complex

Did you know?

Cragganmore is one of the few distilleries still condensing in worm tubs. The big wooden vats with their coiled pipes stand outside behind the distillery, and swapping them for modern condensers would change the whisky — one of the most concrete ways equipment shapes flavour.

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Cragganmore is already the heaviest of the Speyside classics. Add a port cask and the herbal dryness suddenly has dark berries to push against.

Please note: The bottle is supplied without a carton.

Expert description

Cragganmore 2003/2015 Distillers Edition 12 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in port casks and bottled at 40%.

The whisky was distilled in 2003 and bottled in 2015 under the batch code CggD-6567. Distillers Edition is Diageo's annual range in which the Classic Malts distilleries receive a second maturation in a cask suited to their own style. For Cragganmore that means port, laying dark berries and a lightly tart fruit over the herbal, honeyed core. Each vintage is bottled once and never repeated.

Tasting notes

Nose

Heather and honey first, then plum, dark berries and a warm spiced note from the port wood.

Palate

Rounder and darker than the standard 12 year old. Raisin, cherry and malt, with sandalwood and light wood smoke beneath. The port brings a tart edge that keeps the sweetness from turning heavy.

Finish

Long and dry, with dark berries, malt and a herbal warmth fading slowly.

Specifications

Name: Cragganmore 2003/2015 Distillers Edition 12 years Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 40%
Distillery: Cragganmore
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in port casks
Distilled: 2003
Bottled: 2015
Edition: Distillers Edition CggD-6567
EAN no.: 5000281014104

Flavour profile

Fruity · Dark Berry · Malty · Herbal · Lightly Smoked

Investment potential

Medium. Each vintage of the Distillers Edition is bottled once and never returns. Older vintages steadily get harder to find as they are drunk.

Did you know?

Distillers Edition began in the 1990s as a way of showing what a second maturation can do to a familiar whisky. The cask type is fixed per distillery — Cragganmore has had port from the start, while Lagavulin, for instance, always gets Pedro Ximénez.

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Cragganmore is almost always sold at forty percent and twelve years. Every so often Diageo opens the warehouse door and lets it out at full strength — and then it becomes a different whisky entirely.

Expert description

Cragganmore 2016 Annual Release is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled at 55.7% without an age statement.

The release belongs to Diageo's annual Special Releases and was made in 4,932 bottles. Cragganmore sits at Ballindalloch between mountain and sea, in the triangle of land locally called the Garden of Scotland, where barley is a natural crop and the Spey is Scotland's fastest flowing river. It was precisely that combination of barley, water and peat from the uplands to the south that made John Smith build here in 1869. At 55.7% the herbal, malted house style stands far more clearly than in the 12 year old.

Tasting notes

Nose

Concentrated heather and honey, dried herbs and a warm resinous note. Underneath sit malt, apple skin and a trace of wood smoke.

Palate

Powerful and dense. Honey, sandalwood, malt and candied citrus, with a peppery warmth from the strength and a dry herbal edge keeping the sweetness in check.

Finish

Very long and dry, with malt, herbs, oak and a slowly fading smoked warmth.

Specifications

Name: Cragganmore 2016 Annual Release Single Speyside Malt Whisky 55,7%
Distillery: Cragganmore
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 55.7%
Size: 70 CL
Number of bottles: 4,932
Edition: Annual Release 2016
EAN no.: 5000281046082

Flavour profile

Malty · Honeyed · Herbal · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

High. The outturn is 4,932 bottles, the vintage is bottled once and never repeated, and Cragganmore appears rarely in the series. Older Special Releases have risen sharply as they left the shelves.

Did you know?

Cragganmore sits in what locals call the Garden of Scotland — a fertile triangle between mountain and sea where barley grows well. John Smith chose the spot because everything a distillery needs lay within walking distance: grain, water, peat and a railway.

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Whisky writer Alfred Barnard called the style one seldom met with now, and that was in the nineteenth century. Craigellachie has changed nothing since — which is exactly the point.

Expert description

Craigellachie 13 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 46%.

The distillery was built in 1891 on the rock of Craigellachie between Rothes and Dufftown, where the rivers Fiddich and Spey meet. The name is Gaelic and means rocky hill. Condensing still happens in worm tubs, giving less copper contact than modern plant, which is why the whisky carries the meaty, faintly sulphurous edge that sets it apart from its neighbours. For decades most of the production went into blends such as White Horse, and only in 2014 did the distillery get a range of its own.

Tasting notes

Nose

Baked apple, pear and ripe pineapple first. Then vanilla, honey and cereal, with a spiced smoke and a light mineral note that is the house signature.

Palate

Full and oily. Pineapple, citrus, sweet malt and caramelised sugar, with a touch of flint and smoke from the sulphurous edge. The oak gives depth without taking over.

Finish

Long, warm and spiced, with oak, fruit and a hint of toasted malt.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 13 years Single Speyside Malt Whisky 46%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 13 years
ABV: 46 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oak casks
EAN no.: 5000277003389

Flavour profile

Fruity · Spiced · Malty · Mineral · Lightly Smoked

Did you know?

Pineapple runs through the entire Craigellachie range, and it is no accident. The heavy vapour from worm tubs leaves sulphur compounds behind, and years in cask turn them into a clear tropical fruit note — one of the strangest and most recognisable signatures in Scotch whisky.

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Douglas Laing does not just select casks — it also selects who may sell them. Emporium Exclusive goes only to a handful of shops, and Whisky.dk is one of them.

Expert description

Craigellachie 16 years Emporium Exclusive is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled by Douglas Laing at 51.4% without chill filtration.

The cask gave 210 bottles and belongs to the Old Particular range, in which Douglas Laing bottles single casks from distilleries across Scotland. The Emporium Exclusive line is distributed through a small, carefully chosen group of specialist retailers. Craigellachie condenses in worm tubs and therefore makes a heavier, meatier spirit than the rest of Speyside — sixteen years in cask gives it time to unfold without losing the edge.

Tasting notes

Nose

Aromatic spices first, then liquorice, dark sweetness and a light herbal note. Behind them sit vanilla fudge and a touch of tropical fruit.

Palate

Powerful and layered. Spice, liquorice and malt meet vanilla fudge and a creamy sweetness that softens the intensity. The sulphurous distillery edge runs beneath as a mineral undercurrent.

Finish

Long and spiced, with liquorice, oak and a dry warmth that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 16 years Emporium Exclusive Douglas Laing Old Particular Single Speyside Malt Whisky 51,4%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 51.4%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Number of bottles: 210
Edition: Old Particular Emporium Exclusive

Flavour profile

Spiced · Liquorice · Vanilla · Malty · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. 210 bottles from one cask in a line distributed only through selected retailers. Old Particular releases over fifteen years old leave the market quickly.

Did you know?

The Old Particular name refers to the old Scots term for a whisky that was something out of the ordinary — and Douglas Laing has used it since 1948 for the casks the family would have kept for themselves.

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Berry Bros & Rudd has traded wine and spirits from the same London address since 1698. When they pick a single cask of Craigellachie, it is not by accident.

Expert description

Craigellachie 2007/2017 Berry Bros 9 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky drawn from a single cask at 46%.

The cask carries the number 900640, was filled in 2007 and bottled in 2017. The release belongs to Berry's Own Selection, the house range of single cask whisky where the distillery character is left unadjusted. Nine years is young for Craigellachie, but that is exactly why the meaty, mineral style from the worm tub condensing comes through so clearly before the cask starts to dominate.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh and young. Green apple, pear and pineapple, with cereal, vanilla and a flinty mineral note underneath.

Palate

Oily and spiced. Citrus, malt and baked fruit, with the sulphurous edge as a dry undercurrent. The 46% gives bite without tightening.

Finish

Medium and dry, with cereal, oak and a lightly smoked mineral note.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 2007/2017 Berry Bros 9 years Single Cask Speyside Malt Whisky 46%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Bottler: Berry Bros & Rudd
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 9 years
ABV: 46 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Cask no. 900640
Distilled: 2007
Bottled: 2017
Edition: Berry's Own Selection Single Cask

Flavour profile

Fruity · Fresh · Mineral · Malty · Spiced

Did you know?

Berry Bros & Rudd has occupied 3 St James's Street in London since 1698 and has supplied the British court for over two centuries. Whisky bottling is a relatively recent branch of a very old business.

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Fifty percent, every time. Old Malt Cask has bottled at the same strength for decades, which makes distilleries easy to compare — and here it is Craigellachie in the firing line.

Expert description

Craigellachie 2007/2022 The Old Malt Cask 15 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a sherry butt and bottled at 50%.

The cask was filled in 2007 and emptied in 2022 by Hunter Laing & Co for the Old Malt Cask range, where every release goes into bottle at exactly 50%. Hunter Laing is the third generation of a Glasgow family that has traded whisky since the middle of the twentieth century. A sherry butt over fifteen years lays dried fruit and dark sweetness over Craigellachie's meaty, mineral core — two opposing forces that suit each other.

Tasting notes

Nose

Raisin, fig and orange peel first, then walnut, dark chocolate and a dry mineral note from the distillery.

Palate

Full and dry at the same time. Dried fruit, malt and cocoa meet the sulphurous flint edge, with spice and an oily texture carrying it all.

Finish

Long and dry, with nuts, dried fruit and a persistent spiced warmth.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 2007/2022 The Old Malt Cask 15 years Speyside Single Malt Whisky 70 cl 50%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Bottler: Hunter Laing
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 years
ABV: 50 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry butt
Distilled: 2007
Bottled: 2022
Edition: The Old Malt Cask

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dried Fruit · Mineral · Spiced · Nutty

Investment potential

Medium. A single cask from a sherry butt with fifteen years in wood. Old Malt Cask releases of that age disappear quickly, and sherried Craigellachie is not common.

Did you know?

Old Malt Cask bottles consistently at 50% — not at cask strength and not at 46%. The idea is that a fixed strength lets you compare distilleries directly, without the alcohol level clouding the picture.

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Orange oil, cherry and blackberry jam. That does not sound like Craigellachie — until you notice the cask is a sherry butt, and that it has had twelve years to do its work.

Expert description

Craigellachie 2011/2023 Duncan Taylor 12 years Private Cask Bottling is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a sherry butt and bottled at cask strength of 52.4%.

The cask gave 667 bottles and belongs to Duncan Taylor's Private Cask line. The house is based at Huntly in Aberdeenshire and has since 1938 built one of the largest private stocks of Scotch whisky in the trade. Craigellachie condenses in worm tubs and makes a heavy, meaty spirit that needs an active sherry cask to find balance — here twelve years is enough to give colour and fruit without erasing the distillery.

Tasting notes

Nose

Intense and dark. Orange oil, juicy cherries, red grapes and blackberry jam, with dates, spiced cake, nutmeg and dark chocolate behind.

Palate

Full and rounded. Chocolate-coated raisins, fig syrup, rosehip jam and black cherries, joined by candied orange, malt, roasted coffee beans and cinnamon.

Finish

Long and intense, dominated by juicy oranges, honey, sherry and dried fruit with a touch of caramel and roasted notes.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 2011/2023 Duncan Taylor 12 years Private Cask Bottling Single Speyside Malt Whisky 52,4%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Bottler: Duncan Taylor
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 52.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry butt
Distilled: 2011
Bottled: 2023
Number of bottles: 667
Edition: Private Cask Bottling

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dark Berry · Chocolate · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. 667 bottles from one sherry cask at cask strength. Sherried Craigellachie at this age is in demand, and Private Cask bottlings are never remade.

Did you know?

Duncan Taylor bought large parcels of Scotch casks in 1938 and set them aside. That stock is why the house can today bottle vintages many distilleries have used up themselves — they simply bought in while nobody else bothered.

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See our full range of Duncan Taylor Whisky

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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Same distillation day, same distillery, bottled five weeks later — and an entirely different cask. Two neighbouring casks from 2012, one of which had held sherry before and one of which had not.

Expert description

Craigellachie 2012/2023 Signatory Vintage 10 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a first fill oloroso butt and bottled at cask strength of 68.4% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The cask is numbered 900699, was filled on 4 September 2012 and emptied on 17 February 2023. It gave 529 bottles. First fill means it went straight from sherry to Scotch with nothing in between, which gives a far stronger cask influence than a refill. Signatory buys casks from distilleries across Scotland and bottles them under its own name.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dense and dark. Syrupy raisin, black cherry and orange marmalade, with cinnamon, dark cocoa and a dry nutty note.

Palate

Fiercely concentrated. Fig, date, chocolate and burnt sugar, with a peppery warmth and a dry sherry edge. The distillery's mineral core sits underneath and keeps the sweetness from running away.

Finish

Very long, dry and spiced, with dark fruit, oak and a slowly fading warmth.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 2012/2023 Signatory Vintage 10 years Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 68,4%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 68.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: First fill oloroso butt no. 900699
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 04/09/2012
Bottled: 17/02/2023
Number of bottles: 529
Edition: Cask Strength Collection
EAN no.: 5021944121878

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dark Fruit · Chocolate · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. 529 bottles from a first fill oloroso cask at 68.4%. Active sherry wood on Craigellachie is a rare combination, and the outturn is small.

Did you know?

First fill sherry casks have become scarce. The sherry industry has shrunk, and most casks used in Scotch today are made to order and seasoned with sherry for a few years rather than having carried wine for decades.

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Strictly Limited is where Càrn Mòr puts the young casks. No age statement to hide behind, no heavy sherry coat — just the spirit and a European oak cask.

Expert description

Craigellachie 2013/2022 Càrn Mòr 8 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in European oak and bottled at 47.5% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The release gave 1,173 bottles and belongs to Càrn Mòr Strictly Limited from Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers, run by brothers Brian and Jamie Morrison. The range consists of small cask marriages bottled at a fixed strength, and past releases have included Ardmore, Bunnahabhain, Mortlach and Caol Ila. European oak gives more spice and tannin than American, and on Craigellachie's meaty spirit the result is distinctly spiced.

Tasting notes

Nose

Caramel and baked fruit first, then cinnamon, dried herbs and a trace of smoke from the distillation.

Palate

Full and spiced. Caramel, malt and dark fruit, with tannin from the European oak and the mineral edge from the worm tubs. The texture is oily despite the young age.

Finish

Medium and dry, with spice, oak and a lightly smoked warmth at the end.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 2013/2022 Carn Mor 8 years Single Speyside Malt Whisky 47,5%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Bottler: Càrn Mòr
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 47.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: European oak
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2013
Bottled: 2022
Number of bottles: 1,173
Edition: Càrn Mòr Strictly Limited
EAN no.: 5060109229035

Flavour profile

Spiced · Caramel · Malty · Mineral · Lightly Smoked

Did you know?

European oak and American oak behave completely differently. European carries more tannin and gives spice and dryness, while American gives vanilla and coconut. The choice of wood often matters more to the flavour than the number of years in cask.

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Thirty-two bottles, thirty-two pieces. The Chess Malt Collection is built as a chess set where each distillery is assigned a role — and Craigellachie is not a pawn.

Expert description

Craigellachie 21 years The Chess Malt Collection is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a sherry butt and bottled at cask strength of 52.3%.

The whisky was distilled in 1995 and bottled in 2017. The collection consists of 32 unique single cask releases, each bottle representing a chess piece: two kings, two queens, four bishops, four knights, four rooks and sixteen pawns, split between black and white. Craigellachie condenses in worm tubs and makes a heavy, meaty spirit, which after twenty-one years in a sherry cask has gained both depth and a dark fruit sweetness without losing its mineral edge.

Tasting notes

Nose

Rich and inviting. Raisins, dark dried fruits, chocolate and spiced Christmas cake.

Palate

Powerful and complex, with layers of caramel, orange peel, nuts and dark chocolate, underpinned by tobacco notes and spiced oak.

Finish

Long and persistent with bittersweet fruit, chocolate and a touch of white pepper.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 21 years The Chess Malt Collection Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 52,3%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 21 years
ABV: 52.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry butt
Distilled: 1995
Bottled: 2017
Edition: The Chess Malt Collection

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dried Fruit · Chocolate · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

High. Twenty-one years in one sherry cask within a collection that exists only in 32 releases. The Chess Malt Collection is actively collected as a whole, and individual pieces get hard to find quickly.

Did you know?

The chess pieces in the collection are not assigned at random. The rarer and older the whisky, the higher the rank it receives — so a king or queen in the series is at the same time a signal of what is in the bottle.

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