Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 40%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Sherry
Chillfiltered: Yes
Added coloring: Yes
Owner: Diageo
Average price: € 44.00
Official website: www.malts.com
Vote: 88/100
I admit it, I have a weakness for this whisky.
Discovered thanks to the thought of someone who had the loving idea of bringing a bottle to an evening with friends, it was love at first sight: the elegance overwhelmed me, seduced me, and never left me (at least until the bottle was finished).
Part of Diageo’s immense catalogue, as with Clynelish, this is a distillery used mainly for their own blends, hence the scarcity of official bottlings. There are also few independent bottlings.
Tasting notes
I love this distillate right from the label, which is very elegant, and the choice of keeping a golden colour fits in well.
On the nose there is a lot of sweetness, in the good sense, not cloying: honey, chestnuts, hazelnut, fruit, hay, caramel… a symphony of aromas that seems endless, harmonious and persuasive, enveloping and warm.
On the palate, custard, more honey and hay, lots of fruit. At times, it almost feels like drinking a tart, one of those freshly made by grandma who always says you don’t eat enough. A general sense of enveloping warmth, of soft elegance. Alternating between nose and palate is a real pleasure, to close your eyes and let yourself be carried away.
The finish accompanies you for a long time, still pampering you with its sweet fruit, some spices and a very light note of smoke.
There is only one word I would use to describe this whisky: elegant.
A gentlemanly elegance, not pandering, discreet, that doesn’t give you those overwhelming and all-encompassing experiences, but puts you at peace with your senses, one of the rare times when the tamed alcohol content of 40% doesn’t make your nose twitch.
One of those bottles that I find it hard to imagine anyone in the world not liking.
Reviews of Cragganmore whisky in the blog:
Cragganmore 12yo Special Release 2019
Cragganmore 20yo Special Release 2020
Cragganmore The Distillers Edition 2016
Gordon&MacPhail Cragganmore 1976
Other perspectives:
The Scotch Noob