The complexity of Cragganmore makes it an out-of-the-ordinary choice for a second cask finish. However, port-wine casks provide the perfectly harmonious partner.
The definition of a Speyside malt.
Warm gold.
Sweet (jelly-babies) and malty. Fruitier and juicier than the standard bottling. A hint of smoke.
Light to medium body, with rich undertones.
Firm, sweet, with smoky undertones and fruitiness. Malt, oak and smoke at the base. Intriguingly layered.
Medium to long with fine, oaky expressions, from bananas and vanilla to cocoa. Much drier than it began.
Distillery: CragganmoreTM
Age: 12 years old
Strength: 43% ABV
Place of Origin: Ballindalloch
Region: Speyside
in brief… Sweet fragrant aromas with smoke and malt.
in a sentence… Sweet and fragrant with a firm body and a malty taste; a long finish, with delicate aromas and light smoke.
in brief… Sweet fruity aromas with malt, oak and smoke.
in a sentence… Sweet, intensely fruity fragrances and a deep oak-smoked malty taste, then a longish drying finish with plenty of oak character showing through.
Jellybabies! Sweet, black ones - complete with powdery sugar. And, of course, malt. A tantalising aroma, much, much fruitier and more mouthwatering than the standard Cragganmore. Just a hint of smoke does linger.
Light to medium, with rich undertones.
Firm, arousing stuff. Initially sweet with some deep smoky undertones and a rather off-beat fruitiness. Malt, oak and smoke seem to rumble around the base of the palate. An intriguingly two-tiered malt.
Medium to long with a breathtakingly fine explosion of oaky expressions, running from bananas and vanilla to cocoa. Much drier than that very first sweet burst.
2009 & 2011
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2008 - 2009
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2006, 2008 - 2009
2009
2011
"Cragganmore is a deep malt but its richness is often obscured by its fruity sweetness. A period in port pipes allows this element to be amplified. The black currant is now fully fruited and acts as a flavor bridge while the meatiness that sits underneath and often unseen is revealed. Think cherry pipe tobacco, clove, and dark fruits. Sweet, but not too sweet, and always identifiably Cragganmore. For me, the pick of the bunch."
Dave Broom, Whisky Advocate Summer 2012