I picked this up on a lark, to fulfill a minimum purchase requirement to get free in-city shipping on a Mother's Day gift. I do love Craigellachie quite a bit, and I'm always impressed by Douglas Laing bottlings, which are often characterful... so why not?
This one is bottled - like the whole Old Particular line - at 48.4% (no, I don't know why they chose that). 10 years in a refill hogshead, promises lots of distillery character. Let's just dive right in:
Nose: Vintage Craigellachie - ripe apples, whipped cream (creamy vanilla), butter, and a very slight metallic tang. It develops a bit if you let it sit - some dried herbs and caramel sweetness. Eventually you get a weird scent almost like sauteed mushrooms (!).
Mouthfeel: Oily and thin-to-medium.
Palate: Interesting, the palate is more leathery and dry than the nose would indicate. I get: new leather, strawberry shortcake, apple cider and baked apple, vanilla cake batter, butter, salt, oak, pepper, that unusual metallic note, and more faint herbs.
Finish: Vanilla, oak, and a leathery dryness extend for a reasonable amount of time.
Verdict: A very good independent presentation of Craigellachie. It won't stun you into silence or anything, and it's not as interesting as those full sherry maturations that come out of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, but it represents the distillery very well, and has a nice dry leathery aspect that balances the apple cake and herbal butter. At 48.4%, it's a VERY easy sipper for a hot day. For the price point (~$50) it's a steal.
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