Slainte-Mhath
Cragganmore 12 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
June 5, 2021 (edited October 13, 2024)
Renowned whisky writer Michael Jackson held Cragganmore in high regard, while it is mostly overlooked by malt aficionados. Fresh, citric and quite assertive, the aroma features a wide range of flavors. Lime, melon and lychee give way to heather honey, thyme and lavender. Tastewise, crisp and sour notes turn slightly bitter and herbal as the palate progresses, followed by ginger, white pepper and a touch of banana. Grapefruit, green tea and walnuts fade in the short finish. It's not my favorite classic malt, but it has something to offer if given the chance.
RATING: 3.4/5.0 stars ≙ 82 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE [-]
32.0
EUR
per
Bottle
Create Account
or
Sign in
to comment on this review
Hee Hee
@PBMichiganWolverine Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion was essential back in the day, and is still a valuable guide for collectors and an excellent read. The general information about distilleries and house profiles is still relevent but the last edition he produced was the 5th in 2004. There have been 2 editions since then, edited and updated by Dominic Roskrow & Gavin Smith, but I don't think they quite capture Jackson's taste. They re-titled it the Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch, and the 7th ed was in 2015. I don't know if it is going to be updated again, as the last thing that came out was a 2017 republication and update of his 2005 Guide to Whisky.
@PBMichiganWolverine Michael Jackson's Malt Whisky Companion is one of the most successful whisky books of all times, forget Jim Murray, this guy had style, expertise and a gifted nose and palate. He suffered from Parkinson's and passed away in 2007. His review of Cragganmore is still printed on the packaging of this Speysider, he gave it 90 points (same as Lagavulin 16).
@Slainte-Mhath never mind…I just googled images of Michael Jackson Whiskey writer…it’s so diametrically different than the Michael Jackson I thought …
@Slainte-Mhath wait, WTF!!????? Michael Jackson was also a whiskey writer !!!!??? I don’t keep up with whiskey bloggers, don’t really care about their opinion…but how did I miss this??
Additional comment: I last reviewed Cragganmore 12 yo in March 2016, so it was definitely time for a re-review. Five years ago, I didn't really like the herbal, dry and bitter flavors, but I must say this malt has grown on me (1 point up from 81 points). I still think that Michael Jackson's assessment 'the most complex aroma of any malt' was a bit of an overstatement. However, this was more than 15 years ago (he passed away in 2007), so who knows how much this Speysider has changed in all these years.