Craigellachie 19 Year

I fell in love with Craigellachie last year, after trying their 13 year old, and I’ve been grabbing other expressions, official and independent, off shelves since then, and slowly opening them. Unfortunately, nothing has surpassed the 13, including this much more expensive 19 year old. Fortunately, I was able to find this at a bargain, in Trinidad and Tobago, of all places. The online price this is around 120 British pounds, but I found a lonely, dusty, single bottle of this at Piarco International Airport for 120 USD. This is a travel retail exclusive, and it makes sense they would hide this, and only offer it to travel-drunk suckers. I still like this dram, but it lacks the boldness of the 13. The nose is much softer, and features many floral notes and wintermelon; much more perfumy compared to the official 13. On the palate, this has a pleasant creamy mouthefeel with a vanilla and citrus arrival. The famous (or infamous) Craigellachie wormtub sulfur notes emerge later on, and become very strong on the finish – much more so than the 13. The finish is also astringent, metallic, and completely different from the nose. The flavors are much smoother with a few drops of water, which I will recommend. I like this dram. I don’t expect many others will. I don’t regret buying it. I expect many others will. PRESUMPTIVE MARK: 90/100

North Shore Whisky Club: cask strength US exclusive (56.5%). Didn't do anything for me.

This is most definitely not your typical whisky, but it definitely scores points for complexity. There's a certain potpourri quality to it (floral) with hints of smoke, melon, and honey. It's not actually very good. The finish is particularly bizarre, with a bitterness I find unforgiving. These 19 years were not well spent.