Swahili1
Craigellachie 13 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
December 31, 2021 (edited October 7, 2022)
Not really into scotch, but you have to broaden horizons if you are to fancy yourself a whiskey connoisseur. Thought I would therefore jump in
Normally I find most scotch a bit band aids and iodine. Lacks the sweet, rich, candied flavors I crave in bourbon. This one though....I could be won over to at least accepting bourbon's across the pond cousin.
The nose is sweeter. I get vanilla pudding, a bit of barnyard hay, and some tropical fruit -almost like very ripe mango.
The palate is more rich than expected. The nose carries through with vanilla pudding mango, a touch of coconut, and lemon meringue pie ...but with a layer of tang. Reminds me of sweet and sour sauce a bit as it goes down. I do also get a little of the bitter "hospital fire" on the back end- a dash of burning rubber bandaid and iodine.
Finish is shorter. I find most scotch to not be as coating and lengthy on the finish as bourbon unless it is peaty offering.
Overall- As a bourbon and American Rye drinker, I am not offended. I know that this is an entry level offering, but it is the backbone of things like Dewers. I wouldn't kick it off my bar, but would not be something I would ever crave.
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it is not the smokiness of the peat that gives me pause. I can get over that rubber ball taste and have found many Speysides that I like. It is the iodine note that I get from alot of scotch regardless of its origin. Likely due to the fact that my palate lends itself to more favor the corn sweetness and fruit flavors in bourbon and dark rum as opposed to much of the time scotch seems somewhat more citrusy, floral, and vegetal for me. Something I might have to "unlearn" to really enjoy scotch I am told. At the end of the day, you like what you like. @thesherrybomber
"most"? are you only drinking from islay? most scotch whisky is NOT heavily peated
@Swahili1 I like this one a lot for a very affordable entry level single malt. Sweet rich sherry and a touch sulfuric is a magic combination for me… and at sale prices below $50 it’s awesome.
@PBMichiganWolverine Agreed - I first tried the 17 and was very impressed. Then I tried the 13 and was less impressed. I guess it's sort of like the gap I experience between HP 18 and 12.
@Swahili1 yeah totally agree—-from what I recall in that tasting, I wasn’t impressed at all with the 13. At 17 and above, this distillery really shines . ( we had a tasting of 13, 15, 17, 23, 31, and 51)
I could see how more aging in oak might make this wonderful. I see the promise although I am not a scotch fan.....yet 13yr old Scotch is not 13yr old bourbon and vice versa @PBMichiganWolverine
@Scott_E and I had a 51yr pour of this pre-Covid. Was amazing… like leather and old library books with a touch of fruit.