Our first Craigellachie at S&P! Not many more distilleries to cross off the list... But then you need at least 4-5 versions of each distillery to get the character, right? Sometimes you look back and you see how far you've gone, but then you look forward and there's still so far to go... Can't give up now!
Craigellachie 13, 46% abv, $80 CAD, Speyside Single Malt.
We're sniffing:
Kyle starts us off with fruit punch.
Simon agrees, sherried, lively, light, little butterscotch. Boozy fruit punch concentrate.
Smells fizzy, like carbonated Scott says. Gets a bit of pear too. Maybe a little rubber/chemically aroma there.
Sean gets a hint of smoke. Pineapple. We like the pineapple note.
Trevor's getting some cherries.
We cheers.
Sour key note Scott says. We agree, it's pretty sour. Still gets the pineapple.
Simon pulls some butterscotch and the fruit punch, but that sour key note pervades it all. That canned pineapple juice note.
Good feel to it. 46% is a good abv.
Kyle goes for mango, Granny Smith apples.
Sean still gets a hint of smoke. Simon call it burnt caramel or creme brule.
More pear than apple Scott says.
Reviews: Kyle starts us off with an 81. It's got a lot going on. We've been conditioned to expect something light and apple forward when we see 'Speyside' but this is different. Nice feel to it. Would consider a bottle. Definitely interested in trying more Craigellachies. Scott seconds the 81. Really enjoying the recent Speysides we've tried. He'd given up on them and these have rekindled his interest in the region. Pineapple note is neat. Sour pineapple-y pear, really enjoyable and not boring. Probably would pick this up. Simon is in the same ballpark. This is well done, comes together nicely, nice flavors, good balance, good value, good intro scotch. Stamps a 79 on this one. 80 for Sean, lots of nice notes, smoky sour pineapple, dangerously easy to drink. Trevor ends the review with another 81. Well put together, interesting transition between nose and palate. Not going to be a fave, but deserves a spot on the shelf. Averages out to 80.4.
Overall: Doing this one and the Cragganmore 12 back to back definitely resurected everyone's faith in Speyside. Tasty stuff. I don't think any of us are going to rush to get a bottle but this will likely end up on our shelves at some point and you cannot go wrong with this. No controversy at all from the crew on this one.
Cheers!
The S&P Crew.
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