Duncan Taylor Craigellachie Tasting Notes

Duncan Taylor ‘The Octave’ Craigellachie 1999 (12 year old) 54.8%

Bourbon Cask 750382/ Dist: 1999 Btl: 2012/ Tasted: July 2011

Nose: Very alcoholic without water but there is some reasonably mature honey along with hints of manure and peppery tequila-esque notes. Water emphasises the manure notes along with some earthy peat.

The palate is straightforward with peppery tequila notes and some old wood. Water makes it rather soft and innocuous, bringing out some burnt caramel and citrus. Short and slightly sweet with lingering pepper, water lengthens a bit. In conclusion: it’s ok, an average youngish Spey

Scott’s Selection Craigellachie Tasting Notes

Speyside Distillery Scott’s Selection Craigellachie 1982 (18 year old) 61.9%

Dist: 1982 Btl:2000/ Tasted: Jan 2005

An intense and oily nose. Plenty of vanilla oak and cream along with honey, apricot/ yellow soft fruits, earth and summer meadows.

The palate opens with a slight cereal character followed by the oak and apricot fruit. Showing some maturity with hints of dried fruit and straw. The alcohol is rather palate cleansing to say the least and after it passes the oak lingers to the death with some nutmeg and citrus notes. A drop of water emphasises it’s nutty, malty character.

MacPhail’s Craigellachie Tasting Notes

Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Craigellachie 1988 (15 year old) 40%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1988 Btl: 2004/ Tasted: Apr 2004

An aromatic, light, sweetish nose with traces of cereal and smoke. Light to medium bodied, slightly syrupy with orange fruit and a hint of walnuts and spice as the oak bitters out the finish, leaving a very wood after taste.

Douglas McGibbon Craigellachie Tasting Notes

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Craigellachie 2006 (8 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Code: PRV1127/ DMG10552

Dist: Mar 2006 Btl: Autumn 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2015

I don’t normally mention the colour of a whisky but this is very pale for a sherry matured whisky. Earthy and floral on the nose with sweet barley, citrus, peach and banana. Lightly oiled with an almost pulped fruit character and a late smoky note.

The palate is soft and opens with sweet barley sugar along with some sherry notes of treacle and subtle dried fruit. Pleasantly juicy with hints of citrus and grass. Medium length with a lightly oiled, biscuity and camphor finish.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Craigellachie 2002 (10 year old) 46%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: PRV0968/ DMG9421

Dist: Aug 2002 Btl: Winter 2012/ Tasted: Mar 2013

Quite dense and fruity aromas with plenty of aromatic, herbal honey. Lightly oaked with hints of spice, grass and a slightly balsamic/ earthy note.

The palate is soft and lightly honeyed with hints of toasted caramel, barley and citrus. Gently vanilla’d and oily with a long spicy and sugared finish. A lightly dusty/ tannic after-taste.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Craigellachie 1999 (12 year old) 46%

Refill-Sherry/ Code: PRV0719/ DMG7607

Dist: Jul 1999 Btl: Aug 2011/ Tasted: Aug 2011

Quite a subtle nose with hints of raisins and died plum along with some nutty sherry oak. Slightly hard in style with a sort of sub-industrial character. The palate is fuller with some sweet barley and subtle sherry notes giving a touch of dried fruit. Quite a dry and spicy finish again with an underlying sub-industrial note. Pleasant enough through.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Craigellachie 1999 (12 year old) 46%

Sherry Butt/ Code: PRV0728/ DMG7974

Dist Jun 1999 Btl: Oct 2011/ Tasted: Oct 2011

An odd nose to say the least. It reminds me of a liqueur made from marc! Faintly earthy/ musty macerated cherries in alcohol, which becomes rather stinky and manuery over time. There is a rawness to the spirit which verges on the industrial along with a sort of sherberty sweet sherry note. Like I said distinctly odd!

I’m afraid the palate is a lot less interesting. It’s quite sweet and industrial with too much burnt caramel and a touch of cardboard. Again the spirit seems very raw and it’s decidedly hard going.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Craigellachie 1999 (12 year old) 46%

Sherry/ Code: PRV0770/ Dist Sept 1999 Btl: Jan 2012/ Tasted: Jan 2012

A soapy nose with burnt caramel, raisinated fruit and a hint of lemon. The palate is a bit hard and industrial with oily cerealy marc like notes. Quite spicy though with hints of toffee and muscavado sugar.

Douglas Laing Craigellachie Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Old Particular Craigellachie 2005 (14 year old) 48.4%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OLD0840/ DL13725

Dist: Jul 2005 Btl: Nov 2019/ Tasted: Mar 2020

A creally and lightly honeyed nose with peanut brittle and slightly astringent barley. There’s a touch of slightly soapy white fruit and tangerine along with late notes of earth and milky oak.

The palate show more weight and density as well as a cleaner barley character. Good mouth-filling richness with pear, apricot, lemon and vanilla. Slightly earthy finish with some high toned fruit and noticeable alcohol in the finish.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Craigellachie 1999 (15 year old) 48.4%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: OLD0165/ DL10465

Dist: Apr 1999 Btl: Aug 2015/ Tasted: Sept 2015

The aromas are quite mature and there is a slight blemish to the sherry. Robust and coffee’d sherry with hints of herbs, sweet-ish honey, earth and raisinated fruit.

The palate opens with coffee, treacle and raisinated fruit along with milk chocolate, dried citrus rind, liquorice and more treacle. Cleaner than the nose with oodles of coffee. Long, prune and walnut cake finish. Tasted a little older than 15 years.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Craigellachie 1999 (15 year old) 48.4%

Refill Sherry Butt/ Code: OLD0165/ DL10465

Dist: Apr 1999 Btl: Aug 2015/ Re-Tasted: Sept 2016

The nose is initially very oily with an almost briny freshness, The sherry cask asserts itself with oxidised, pruney dried fruit, almond, hazelnut and a touch of vanilla. It feels a lot older than its age statement and given time the aromas fill out rather well.

The palate opens with the lightly bitter chocolaty wood notes and oxidised fruit, walnut and hazelnut. The treacle comes through on the middle to balance the bitterness. Long and juicy with lingering dried, mature sherry fruit, chocolaty spices and a return of the bittering oak notes.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Craigellachie 1999 (16 year old) 48.4%

Sherry Butt/ CODE: OLD0545/ DL12218

Dist: Jul 1999 Btl: Dec 2017/ Tasted: Dec 2017

Crisp and citric aromas with hints of honey, tobacco, dark toffee and subtle baked fruits.

The palate opens with a good dollop of malt, baked fruit and dark toffee. Slightly leathery and tobaccoey with a pleasantly, subtle chocolaty middle. Long and spicy with a subtle coffee’d finish and botanical after-taste.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Craigellachie 1995 (18 year old) 48.4%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OLD0132/ DL10311

Dist: Sept 1995 Btl: Apr 2014/ Tasted: Sept 2014

Dense and quite luscious on the nose with plenty of mature honey, beeswax and re-fill sherry dried fruit. The aromas feel a little older and they are quite dusty with a touch of malt, stewed prune and date coming through. Sweetly spiced with a light minerality.

The palate is soft and full with mature honey and dried fruit to begin with. Quite crisp and granity on the middle with some citrus putting in an appearance too. A little lightly coffee’d oak and dusty tannin comes through as well. Good length with the honey coated dried fruit and spices lingering but the tannins make the after-taste quite dry.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Craigellachie 1995 (20 year) 51.5%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OLD0256/ DL10962

Dist: Sept 1995 Btl: Dec 2015/ Tasted: Oct 2016

Aromas of hard but fragrant barley with hints of mint, menthol, cardamom and ginger. With time an almost pulped white fruit note appears along with pepper and nettles. Interesting!

The palate mirrors the nose with a combination of hard and fragrant barley with hints of pepper and mature oak. Really spicy on the middle with ginger and cardamom. Medium length and remaining spicy and peppery through to the end.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Craigellachie 1999 (20 year old) 51.5%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OLD0851/ DL13710

Dist: Jul 1999 Btl: Nov 2019/ Tasted: Jan 2020

Aromas of mature barley and cereal with hints of tangerine, orange, brandy butter and subtle, oxidised apricot and apple. Mature, sawdusty oak and a touch of earth appear. Faintly industrial, but that’s more than compensated by the mature spirit and oak.

The palate is lithe and lemony with mature honey and dusty oak. Lightly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper. Straightforward but pleasant deep with loads of mature honey. Long with a lovely chilli spice kick and returning honey and oak.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Craigellachie 1995 (21 year old) 51.5%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OLD0349/ DL11343

Dist: Sept 1995 Btl: Sept 2016/ Tasted: Oct 2016

Aromas of hard but fragrant barley with hints of mint, menthol, cardamom and ginger. With time an almost pulped white fruit note appears along with pepper and nettles. Interesting!

The palate mirrors the nose with a combination of hard and fragrant barley with hints of pepper and mature oak. Really spicy on the middle with ginger and cardamom. Medium length and remaining spicy and peppery through to the end.

Douglas Laing Old Particular Craigellachie 1995 (21 year old) 51.5%

Sherry Butt/ Code: OLD450/ DL11769

Dist: Oct 1995 Btl: Jun 2017/ Tasted: July 2017

Aromas of rhubarb stalk, edgy barley and lanolin. Entertaining, funky and pleasantly mature with hints of honey, thyme, vanilla custard powder and white chocolate.

The palate shows a little more honey but it’s still quite herbal with rhubarb, apricot and apple. Subtle, mature oak on the middle with a touch of vanilla. Edgy, tongue tingling, alcohol enhanced green citric finish but the sweet honey offsets. Again entertaining!

Douglas Laing Provenance Craigellachie 2008 (8 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1174/ DL11074

Dist: Jan 2008 Btl: Mar 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2017

Crisp, grassy and citric aromas. Subtly estery with white fruit and vanilla.

Soft and simple on the palate. White fruit, citrus and a touch of oak vanillins. Subtle barley fills out the middle and the finish is pleasantly citric and grassy.

Douglas Laing Provenance Craigellachie 2009 (8 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1346/ DL12202

Dist: Feb 2009 Btl: Dec 2017/ Tasted: Feb 2018

Feinty and hard on the nose with hints of barley and lemon. The barley becomes quite fragrant and I imagine that this would have been quite pleasant if given more time in the cask to remove the impurities.

The palate displays sweet barley and citrus. Less impurities and more of a toasted cereal character. Good depth with a sweet barley finish.

Douglas Laing Provenance Craigellachie 2009 (10 year old) 46%

Bourbon/ Code: PRV01476/ Dist: May 2009 Btl: 2019/ Tasted: Jan 2020

A lightly industrial nose with lime juice, barley and hints of apple, pear and granulated sugar.

The palate is a lot more industrial in character than the nose suggests with lime, green banana, lemon and under ripe pear. Hard barley middle and a crisp, slightly grassy and lime finish. A little sugar offsets the citrus a little.

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Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask Craigellachie 1997 (14 year old) 50%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: OMC2152/ DL8185

Dist: Dec 1997 Btl: Apr 2012/ Tasted: Apr 2012

A soft and lightly perfumed nose. Wonderfully crisp and granity with hints of citrus, apple, sugared barley, nuts and toasted caramel.

The palate opens with a soft kiss of gentle, toffee’d oak with a nutty quality. Quite intense and complex with citrus, light banana, apricot along with a touch of malt. Quite a piquant middle, which leads into a good grassy, nutty, lightly spiced finish, exiting with a touch of toasted caramel. Very pleasant.

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Douglas Laing Premier Barrel Craigellachie 1999 (11 year old) 46%

Sherry/ Code: PBR0092/ Dist: Sept 1999 Btl: June 2011

A vegetal sherry nose with some burnt toffee, liquorice and marc-like notes. A touch unintegrated with the marc notes becoming quite peppery with time and the sherry notes become quite confected in style. The palate is sweet and bitter with vegetal sherry, burnt toffee and malt. Quite full but like the nose it’s somewhat unintegrated. The wood influence ceases quite abruptly leaving the sweet marc spirit alone on the finish.

Douglas Laing Premier Barrel Craigellachie 1999 (12 year old) 46%

Sherry/ Code: PBR0113/ Dist: Sept 1999 Btl: June 2012/ Tasted: June 2012

A hard, granity nose of apricot, straw and some boiled sweet-esque refill sherry notes. With time it becomes quite peppery.

The palate has quite a sweet start. Sugar coated barley and mouth-filling refill sherry. The combination of alcohol and granity notes make the middle a touch austere. Good length with the sherry lingering and a late peppery, spice note.

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Douglas Laing Single Minded Craigellachie 2008 (8 year old) 43%

Bourbon/ Code: SIN0018/ Dist: Mar 2008 Btl: Oct 2016?/ Tasted: Nov 2016

The nose shows plenty of oak – toffee, caramel and almond with a touch of gristy cereal and light herbal notes.

The palate mirrors the nose with all the flavours being oak derived – toasted toffee and vanilla. A little barley comes through on the middle along with a touch of minerals, but it‘s back to the oak on the finish with a light chocolaty note.

Dewar Rattray Craigellachie Tasting Notes

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Craigellachie 2008 (6 year old) 58%

Sherry Butt 900861/ Dist: Sept 2008 Btl: Jan 2015/ Tasted: Feb 2015

A fresh and gristy nose with plenty of floral honey and grass. The sherry is quite subtle and ads just a touch of sweetness. With time hints of herbs, fleshy apricot, earth an light coffee notes appear.

The palate is sweet-ish and a little gristy with honey and malt. It becomes quite earthy with raisins, sultana, dunnage and gentle sherry spices. Good, crisp finish with lingering honey and earth.

With water the nose is a little less effusive with hints of toffee and more herbal notes. The palate is softer and rounder with more toffee, apricot and fleshy white fruit. Still quite fresh with a dry, mineral finish and nutty after-taste.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Craigellachie 2008 (6 year old) 58%

Sherry Butt 900861/ Dist: Sept 2008 Btl: Jan 2015/ Re-Tasted: Sept 2015

A big, pungent and earthy nose of raw sherry. It treads a fine line between rawness and dirtiness, but I’ll forgive it that for the sheer intensity of the raw wood, coffee, walnut cream, toffee and yet more earth!

The palate is equally as pungent with coffee, toffee and primal, raw, tannic wood! Again treads the line, as they say with earthy dried fruit and intense, slightly eye watering alcohol and herbal spice on the finish.

With water the aromas become slightly floral and fragrant, possibly a little more muddy and manurey now but still quite raw. The palate is still earthy but softer with more spicy dried fruit evident along with a touch of vanilla. Dilution obviously tames the alcohol and lengthens the finish, which is wonderfully chocolaty.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Craigellachie 2002 (8 year old) 60.1%

Re-Fill Sherry 900073/ Dist: Aug 2002 Btl: Feb 2011/ Tasted: Feb 2011

A very spirity nose, somewhat akin to acetone mingled with sulphur tainted cask notes. Good grief there are alcoholic/ botanical notes all over the place. It’s like a Sauvignon on steroids with a latent, rather nasty metallic edge. All a bit of a mess to be honest.

The palate is sweet, sugary and sulphured before the alcohol wades in and then it’s bye-bye taste buds! Grubby and confected with a sugary marc like finish. Water makes not one iota of change!

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Craigellachie 2002 (11 year old) 60%

Bourbon Hogshead 4/ Dist: Sept 2002 Btl: Apr 2014/ Tasted: May 2014

A nose of gristy barley and alcohol! Hints of grass, leafy herbs, lightly perfumed white fruit and lemon.

Quite full on the palate, opening with sweet barley. A touch of caramel and grass develops on the middle. Again quite alcoholic with a little, clean, rose petal marc notes. The finish is masked although there’s a touch of dusty spicy tannins in the after-taste.

Water makes the aroma harder and granity as well as emphasising the caramel. A little simpler but pleasantly grassy and citric. The palate is quite sweet now – sweet barley and sugar coated citru. Like the nose more toasted  caramel is noticeable and butter as the oak evolves. Pleasantly soft finish with a light peppery marc after-taste.

Dewar Rattray ‘Cask Collection’ Craigellachie 2007 (11 year old) 65%

Bourbon Hogshead 900637/ Dist: Oct 2007 Btl: Nov 2018/ Tasted: Feb 2019

The nose is quite heavy and woody (more vanillins than tannins) with an almost grain whisky-like character. Hints of rose petal Marc appear and there’s also a slight metallic note in the background. Hints of barley and straw appear but so does a slight soapiness.

The palate opens with some slightly hard barley, herbs and vanilla. Quite alcoholic, which isn’t a surprise with coffee and cereal on the middle. Masked finish with citrus, gooseberry, nettles and hard barley.

Water brings out a touch of sweeter barley on the nose, along with violets and jasmine. Cleaner and rounder with the oak moving into the background. The palate is a little watery, but shows more barley and more hardness! Good length with subtle herbal spice and waxy fruit notes.

Dewar Rattray Craigellachie 1998 (13 year old) 56.1%

Bourbon cask 10384/ Dist: 1998 Btl: 2012/ Tasted: Nov 2012

The show displays quite an alcohol prickle but beyond that there is some relatively mature honey, grass, citrus and plenty of nippy spices. Very deep with a light perfumed edge and some lovely buttery oak.

The buttery oak shows first on the palate and is quite dominating. It’s joined by some soft but nippy spices and gentle honey. The spices really hit the middle! Deep, but a tad linear with a slightly masked finish.

A drop of water emphasises the oak and brings out a touch of herbal toffee, although it’s still very deep and honeyed. Very impressive. The palate is softer now with some lovely lemon note. Gloriously juicy and broad now with plenty of honeyed barley. Maybe not quite as spicy now but the finish has a lovely castor sugar coating.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Craigellachie 2003 (13 year old) 58.9%

Bourbon Hogshead 127/ Dist: Jun 2003 Btl: July 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

A murky, dirty and feinty nose. Rough and cardboardy with hard barley, liquorice and mixed, dried herbs.

The palate is as much fun as the nose! Hard and industrial with wet cardboard, liquorice and malt. Hot finish with lingering industrial notes.

The nose is still murky when diluted but a touch of orange attempts to lighten. The palate is flat, watery and still cardboardy!

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Craigellachie 1989 (15 year old) 54.2%

Refill Bourbon Cask 3882/ Dist: Oct 1989 Btl: Sept 2005/ Tasted: Nov 2005

Clean, youthful-ish nose. Lots of creamy vanilla oak, crème caramel and a touch of smoke. A bit inspid and fartoo much oak. Dry on the palate, again vanilla oak plus sugary/ sherberty sweet fruit along with a touch of smoke and spice.

Water brings out an orange note and not a lot else!

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Craigellachie 1990 (16 year old) 54.7%

Bourbon Cask 3881/ Dist: Oct 1990 Btl Aug 2006/ Tasted: Sept 2006

Interesting nose, opens with coffee/tobacco leaf on a wet morning, followed by clean apricot fruit and creamy vanilla – builds nicely becoming a touch creamy with a wood smoke nuance. Quite sweet on the palate, rounded and nicely fruity with vanilla oak and gentle spices. Over time it develops a sort of slightly leafy/woody middle. Tangy length with custard cream after taste – Good crispness/freshness throughout.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Craigellachie 1991 (16 year old) 60.7%

Bourbon Cask 6924/ Dist: Aug 1991 Btl: Sept 2007/ Tasted: Oct 2007

A lovely nose! Delicate and deep with bags of character. Dusty spices mingle with rich apricot, tangerine fruit and wonderful mature honey. The complexity of thearomas seems unending, next comes a delicate floral peach note followed by toffee and vanilla cream.

The palate is creamy and soft with apricot, peach, tangerine, earth, spices and maturing honey. A lovely intensity which develops a leafy/ botanical note. The finish is long and somewhat dominated by the alcohol.

With the addition of water one word springs to mind – Wow! It’s sublime, just like a floral orange liqueur. The palate isn’t bad either! It’s now a wonderful mouthful of citrus/ honeyed deliciousness and the spices! Like angels dancing on your tongue – Superb!

Dewar Rattray Cask Collection Craigellachie 2002 (18 year old) 55.5%

Bourbon Hogshead No5/ Dist: Sept 2002 Btl: Sept 2020/ Tasted: Nov 2020

The nose is almost tropical and barley’d with a peppery, pulped white fruit note. A little rough and ready as Craigellachie can be, but it’s fun. Late sweet rose Turkish delight, chunky toffee’d oak and edgy green citrus.

The palate actually feels quite young and citric with rose Turkish delight, barley, earth and hints of orange, apricot, malt and liquorice. Masked, dry finish with lingering gooseberry.

Water brings out some mature baked apple and spice. A little more herbal in character and less fruity and less weird. Touch more buttery oak. Dilution has also made the palate feel  its age but its simpler. A pleasant mouthful but not worth £87.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Craigellachie 1991 (20 year old) 59.5%

Bourbon Cask 6921/ Dist: 1991 Btl: 2011/ Tasted: Oct 2011

A rather hard, earthy and grainy nose. In fact tasted blind you would be forgiven for thinking that it was a grain whisky.  There are some notes of brittle honey and toasted barley and with time the honey does become quite floral and the spirit notes become rather botanical in character.

The palate is very earthy with hints of mature honey along with a touch of coffee. The combination of alcohol and the graininess of the spirit make the middle quite mouth-watering. The light coffee/ hickory note is ever present and the finish is relatively oily, but the alcohol really needs taming.

With water the oak comes flooding in on the nose adding caramel, linseed oil and a touch of unsweetened marshmallow. Quite juicy now but too oak dominated. The palate is now softer but simpler and like the nose the oak holds sway but in doing so brings a lot of bitterness with it and I’m afraid there is not enough sweetness to balance that. The finish is now quite short and botanical.

Cadenheads Craigellachie Tasting Notes

Cadenheads ‘Authentic Collection’ Cragiellachie-Glenlivet 1994 (12year old) 58.3%

Bourbon/ Dist: 1994 Btl: 2006/ Tasted: Sept 2007

An interesting, quiet complex nose of tobacco and earth followed by vanilla, butterscotch and a late herbal note. Water emphasises the grassy/ citrus fruit.

The palate is soft with buckets of vanilla and butterscotch and not much else apart from a late peppery spice note. Water softens, but the oak still dominates. Medium length. Very, very spicy with vanilla oils and pepper coating the mouth.  In conclusion: A good clean cask with the oak dominating. However water makes the character of the spirit more evident.