Craigellachie 13 Year (Signatory Cask Strength)

Craigellachie has sort of come into its own, in terms of notoriety and reputation among dedicated whisky drinkers. Once confined to the dusty prisons of the back shelves, people are now taking notice of the robust spirit that has full flavor (and occasionally wildly meaty notes due to the sulfur molecules left behind by the worm rubs they still use). 

I've had some stellar fully-sherried Craigellachie botltings from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, but they were all extremely young. This bottle has been fully matured, all 13 years, in sherry - so I have no idea what to expect. 

I can't go any further without noting that this is one of the darkest whiskies I've ever had that wasn't colored in some way. Right up there with the deepest red-brown unfiltered Macallans, this is a rich mahogany color tinged with ruby red and amber notes.

Aged all 13 years in what must have been a highly active first-fill sherry butt, and bottled at 55.9% ABV, I'm extremely curious how this turned out. 

Let's find out: 

Nose: Well, that's a sherry bomb alright. Surprisingly meaty - it's like an appetizer plate of various sliced meats from pepperoni to old ham to prosciutto. Red wine vinegar. Yeast. Ripe grapes, grape soda. The nose is rather sharp and savory, and only gains sweetness with a lot of time in the glass. There are hints of red wine (young plums especially) here and there. Lots and lots of meaty sherry influence. Mixed unsalted nuts. 

Mouthfeel: On the thinner side of medium. 

Palate: Interesting, the palate diverges quite a bit from the sharp, meaty nose. On the neck pour I got mint chocolate candy (!), but that note disappeared into the bottle. 

Grape soda, ham pizza (!!), and sulfurous notes. Young leather and nuts. There are hints of BBQ meat (honey-glazed) and a vague fudge flavor, like stale brownies. It's a wild ride.

Finish: Surprisingly savory. Herbs, pepper, grape candy, wood tannins, chocolate, and lots of slightly vinegary meat. Really delectable, if that's your thing.

Verdict: I think this is a love it/hate it bottle. I like meaty whiskies, and I like sulfur, and I like high ABV flavor blasts. This has all of that. I think this is well-worth your time, if you like big sherry bombs with savory dimensions.