Craigellachie 11-year-old (Lady of the Glen)

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The Craigellachie Story

This is the third in a series of reviews showcasing recent releases from independent bottler, Lady of the Glen. I’ve already worked my way through drams from Glen Ord and Glenrothes but the subject of this review comes from Craigellachie in Speyside.

Craigellachie was the result of a partnership between Peter Mackie of White Horse and Alexander Edward, owner of Benrinnes. From the beginning, the distillery was designed to produce a whisky that would differ from the style made by its Speyside neighbours.

The village of Craigellachie was something of a transport hub in those days with railway lines from Lossiemouth, Dufftown and Keith meeting. Those links gave the new distillery some excellent connections with the big blending houses of the central belt.

Alexander Edward sold his share in the distillery in 1900 and went on to work on Aultmore, Dallas Dhu and Benromach. Craigellachie remained with Mackie and became part of an empire that also included Lagavulin in Islay and Hazelburn in Campbeltown.

Craigellachie’s whisky is best described as a character malt. It has a distinctive style that fits in a sub-genre of Speyside that takes in distilleries like Cragganmore, Benrinnes and Mortlach. These plants produce a heavier spirit, thanks to a production regime that utilises worm tubs. This old-fashioned means of condensing vapour back into liquid preserves sulphur notes that are naturally produced during the whisky-making process. The sulphur evolves throughout the maturation period, leaving behind a whisky of unique character. Most distilleries will reject anything with sulphur components of more than 3 parts per million (ppm). Craigellachie runs at around 30 ppm.

The unique character of Craigellachie means the spirit pairs well with sherry casks and this Lady of the Glen bottling was initially matured in a refill butt before being finished in a re-charred oloroso cask. It’s bottled at 60.6% abv.

*Full disclosure: the sample featured in this review was sent to me free of charge. As always, I will strive to give an honest opinion on the quality of the dram and the value for money it represents.

The Whisky

Lady of the Glen - Craigellachie sample — Lady of the Glen – Craigellachie sample

Smell: Barbecue flavoured peanuts and wood spice. Red apples. Toffee apples. A wee touch of red wine with raspberry and plums. Struck matches. Dried fruits. Charcoal. Barbecue coals. Paprika.

Taste: A winey, fruity arrival that quickly evolves into charcoal and oak char. Loads of woody spices. Again I think of barbecues and spice seasonings. Like a spice rub for a rack of ribs, full of cayenne and paprika and chilli powder. In the arrival there’s berries and toffee. A touch of walnut. Raisins and currants in the back.

Thoughts: A big, fiery, bold dram. The recharred cask leans into Craigellachie’s natural abundance of sulphur and the end result is a characterful dram full of weight and meat and spice. The wine and berry notes add some colour to what could have become a spice overload and help bring some toffee sweetness out of the cask. After a while in the glass, with water added, I started to pick out some grilled pineapple that gave it a summery, almost tropical vibe. It’s a bruiser and I’m absolutely loving it.

Price: £80. Ideally, you’d like to see such whiskies priced a bit lower but it’s nothing out of the ordinary in the current market – and it’s a fully fledged belter. So much so, I bought one myself immediately after writing this review.