James MacArthur Old Masters Craigellachie 2000 (11 year old) 57.3%
Bourbon cask 156/ Dist: 2000 Btl: 2012/ Tasted: Nov 2012
Soft aromas of straw like barley and summer flowers with hints of juniper and berries. Lightly perfumed with a touch of creamy oak.
Light And quite elegant with hints of barley and grass. Gently fruity with again a straw like demeanour. Piquant alcohol masks but there is a touch of oak on the finish.
With water the nose becomes slightly oilier with a light honey sheen to the barley. Slight more in the way of earth and grass. The palate is slightly fuller with a touch more caramel oak. The middle has opened up pleasantly to show a soft citrus and spice. Good length with a fresh, spicy, juniper abnd grass finish.
James MacArthur Old Masters Craigellachie 2000 (11 year old) 57.3%
Bourbon Cask 150/ Dist: 2000 Btl: 2012/ Tasted: Dec 2013
A lovely, softly oaked nose, displaying an effusive herbal-honey character, fragrant barley and summer flowers. Beautifully fresh and spicy with hints of perfumed white peach, pear, lychee, squashed banana and grass.
The palate is fresh and citric with sweet barley, apricot and grass mingling with some lovely creamy oak. Slightly toffee’d on the middle as the oak and malt begin to come through. Lovely, mouth-watering, citrus and grassy finish.
A drop of water freshens the nose, emphasising the citrus and lightly salted notes as the oak recedes. The palate has become a little simpler as again the oak has receded, but it is a pleasant barley led mouthful with some lightly oiled pineapple and a long, lightly spiced finish.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 