Craigellachie means "rocky hill" - I imagine that's where the words "crag" and "craggy" originate - and refers to an outcropping that overlooks the Spey river, across from the Macallan distillery. Craigellachie is owned by Bacardi, and I have to say - based on what I've had, they are doing all the right things. It was built in 1891, and is currently a major part of Dewar's blends; they produce 4,000,000 litres of alcohol a year.
When I think of Craigellachie, I immediately think "apples" and "rich sulfur." They are definitely known for having one of the meatier, more sulfurous distillates out there. Let's check out the official notes:
A fascinating ‘struggle’ between an ‘old-school’ meaty spirit and the cask maturation - how about cooking a beef filet mignon with a garlic beurre noisette. Big and characterful on the palate, braised beef cheeks with pear and bitter chocolate sauce served with Japanese vegetable tempura fritters. With water, the nose turned even more meaty, gamey and oily, hints of garlic even. We decided on a sausage, apple and potato one-pan roast. The taste like beef rolls, thin seasoned beef slices wrapped around a pickle spear, bacon and onion all spread thinly with mustard served with dumplings and red cabbage. After fifteen years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a shaved-toasted-re-charred and oloroso seasoned 1st fill barrique.
I am already intrigued - this is far from the "apple mince meat pie" I was expecting. Filet mignon!? Garlic butter?? Alongside pear, chocolate, sausage?! I think the tempura batter must be the equivalent of the pie crust I'm used to.
I am happy/relieved to see apple appearing in there as well. It sounds like it leans very heavily on the sulfur notes... perhaps a side effect of the curious cask finish: a 1st fill wine barrique that has been both shaved, toasted, recharred AND seasoned with oloroso. What a series of influences!
Bottled at 57% ABV, part of the Deep, Rich, and Dried Fruits flavor profile, and nicknamed "Good Traditional Fare." Let's investigate this curiosity:
Nose: Holy hell, what a sherry bomb the neck pour on this was! Sticky toffee and raisins and figs-in-honey and grape must, and sweet sweet pear candy. That oloroso "seasoning" really dominates! The first 15 years of ex-bourbon might provide a strong core, but the end flavors were almost all sherry. Also get roasted almonds, hazelnuts, cashews... and some dry baking spice.
However, as it got deeper in the bottle and oxidized and unwound a bit, it gets quite a bit more bourbon-forward, and a bit more typically "Craigellachie": meaty sulfur, apples, pears are pretty prominent - almost like a savory applesauce (!), with all those sherry notes hovering like a spicy halo in the background. Very nice. The re-char wood comes across as well: ash and wood oil. Really great nose here.
With a splash of water and some more time... I only get the vaguest suggestions of garlic oil, sadly. I was really looking for it, too. With water, this is largely the same nose. Maybe a little less spice and the introduction of some chocolate, but not much. If this changes deeper into the bottle, I'll update the review.
Mouthfeel: Very full, viscous.
Palate: Super interesting flavor development here: the neck pour was all rich resinous sherry (toasted nuts, strawberries, raisins, prunes) giving way steadily to apples, wood, and ash. This reminds me more than a little of a 17 year Bowmore I recently had, which had a very similar casking situation.
But later in the bottle, as it mixes more and more with the air, just as with the nose it becomes a little more like the traditional Craigellachie signature: freshly chopped wood, meaty sulfur, apple sauce, ash, with a glowing aura of sherry flavors surrounding it. Much more balanced than the initial pour.
With water... this really doesn't change much for me. Soft sherry, pear and apple, wood, sulfur, ash.
Finish: Long, drying finish on this one: wood, apple seeds, white pepper, toasted nuts, and grape must all fade away together. Barest hints of smoke. I saw another reviewer call it "aggressive," which I suppose it could be - it's quite spicy. But not in a bad way, for me.
Verdict: Well... I say the same thing here as I did about the aforementioned Bowmore - the casking here has somewhat overtaken the core distillery signature, replacing it with a new set of flavors... which, luckily, are all high quality sherried tastes and aromas. The usual apple pie flavor is only suggested at on the palate, and invisible on the nose. This is a very atypical Craigellachie, I think. It's delicious, and unexpected, but perhaps not the bottle for big fans of the distillery. A worthy curiosity, perhaps.
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