Cragganmore Distillers Edition

The waitress comes to my table and I order Crown Royal, this being France, she frowns and mouths something back along the lines of "Crown Royal". She comes back with a fine dram, but it tastes different... I'm greeted by something between Dalwhinnie 15, G. Rozelieures Rare and Kavalan Port Finish, I can taste continental oak and wine cask flavours, a mild spice, some caramel and chocolate creaminess, finishing with some elegant dryness echoing peat and sherry, at one point, I even pick up litchi... but Dalwhinnie, Kavalan and G. Rozelieures pull off these flavours a lot better, sure it's delicious, but I remember Crown Royal being better, that strength, that funkiness is gone, there is only malt. I realise at the end that the waitress mistook Crown Royal with Cragganmore Distillers Edition, which made me and her embarrassed. The next day, I tried and fell in love with Cragganmore 12 Years, much better!

Round, fruity, sturdy for a Speyside whisky. Convincing tones of fruit, dry fruit and bananas.

1-19-17 Had a dram of this at a tasting at Mac McGee's in Decatur, GA. Out of five whiskys, this was the star. The nose caught me off guard; strawberry fig jam.