I have been watering my whisky bush regularly, and it has grown me a pair of Creigellachies that are now ripe for harvest. The first standard 13yo was gifted to me as part of a larger whisky order I made with an online retailer. A bottle goes for around €40. The other sample is (surprise, surprise) from a 10yo single cask bottled for the SMoS 2022 advent calendar.
As before, a question here is how a vatted, standard release stacks up against a single cask selected by a reputable indie bottler.
Whisky review
Craigellachie 13yo 46% Official Bottling
⚡Experience
A fruit-forward nose (green grapes, ripe melon); some sweetness (caramel and vanilla); just a little dusty (hessian cloth, touch of white pepper). The flavours are more robust: tobacco smoke, and slightly sulphurous (broiled meats). The fruits are not gone, but do not take centre stage here. The finish is more herbal.
⚖️Verdict
The combination of fruits, subtle smoke, meatiness, and herbaceousness make for an interesting taste experience that overall works well.
⭐ Quality Dram
Whisky review
Craigellachie 10yo 2011 61.1% “Cask #90093” Elixir Distillers
⚡Experience
A soft sherry influence on the nose (butter, wild strawberry, toffee); added water entices a fresher citrus note. On the palate: full-bodied, meaty, smoky, and earthy / vegetal (notably tobacco). The taste is particularly salty, but there is also some sweetness and vegetal bitterness. Somewhat drying finish, holding on to the tobacco note.
⚖️Verdict
A robust and meaty dram, where I feel the distillate is speaking more than the sherry cask (refill?). Very decent, but the nose could be more forthcoming.
⭐ Quality Dram
Both these drams are great, and I wouldn’t pick a decisive winner after having taken price into account, where I guess a bottle like the single cask one would be around €60. Anyways, I’m happy to have become more acquainted with Craigellachie, which I have no explicit memory of having tried before, though I surely have. (Did I visit Craigellachie or Cragganmore distillery all those years ago?). Quite a distinctive character with the herbal side.
DuckDrams 
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