Craigellachie 31 Year

31 years old and we're given the notes of "First and refilled casks". Would be nice to know what types? Nose - stately old oak notes. Leather, oak, tropical and lemon citrus notes. Some rich toasted vanilla over more oak. Pineapple perhaps. Light custards and other relaxed desserts. Taste - Rich. Oily. There's a distinct first fill bourbon note. And holy crap this goes places. Spicy pineapple over a light wood smoker. Super rich layers of caramel and vanilla. Light toasted oaks linger forever here. Sweet, savory, and sour notes up front with pepper spices on the finisher. The nose gave this whisky signs of a well aged but underwhelming malt. The pallet however takes you to a new world of rich intense flavors, far exceeding what just over 50% abv should yield. That classic worm wood sulfur is here in large presence with intense sweetness and over powering spices. A truly exceptional whisky. So score - Lets keep price out of here for now. Do I like this over some of the exceptional casks? To be honest, not really. I don't think this uses sherry casks unless they are part of the refill. I love the richness. I love the spice. But it's not wowing me. I'll give it a strong 4.5 but I'm wondering if I'm letting the price skew me. So for the price of 75 for this oz of whisky....likely a pass.

Marvellous. Great tropical, floral vanilla character alongside honey and waffles drenched in maple syrup. Nose: Red Apples, Cinnamon, Honey, Caramel, Vanilla, Peaches, Pineapples, Pears, Mangoes, Leather, Raspberry Jam, Dark Chocolate, Bananas, Pork, Heather, Lemon, Buttercream Frosting, Waffles Drenched in Maple Syrup Palate: Honey, Vanilla, Pineapples, Oranges, Peaches, Bananas, Coconuts, Flowers, Heather, Oak, Leather, Waffles, Cherries, White Chocolate, Truffles Finish: Vanilla, Honey, White Chocolate, Oranges, Caramel, Lychee, Truffles

Christmas pudding in a glass.