Slainte-Mhath
Craigellachie 13 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
May 8, 2022 (edited October 7, 2022)
13 is deemed an unlucky number, but together with its retro label it certainly helps Craigellachie to stand out from the crowd. Tangerines, elderflower and a touch of cider make an appearance on the nose, all rather light, fruity and slightly floral. The honeyed arrival is displaced by mango, grapefruit and white pepper, while bitter herbs and tannins are pushing forward. Drying oak, lemon zest and menthol mark the prolonged and sugar-coated finish. Don't be fooled by your first impression, this whisky requires a lot of perseverance to be fully appreciated.
RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE
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@Anthology maybe it’s just their own bottlings? Or maybe my wild hypothesis of them having prime numbers is totally wrong
@PBMichiganWolverine Not to ruin it for everyone but I snagged a 24Yr OB of Craighellachie from TW last year. It was a single sherry cask though. So maybe their SiBs can be even numbers. I also saw a double cask OB 20yr old one time at BevMo.
@Slainte-Mhath @Scott_E won a ballot. 150 people globally were randomly chosen for a free tasting of the 13, 17, 23, and 51. This one was in NYC. He was allowed to bring a guest…and I was that lucky plus 1.
@Scott_E Did you buy a bottle of the 51 YO, or was that at a whisky festival?
@Slainte-Mhath @PBMichiganWolverine I like how Craigellachie bottles at odd year age statements. I like the spicy, pringly bit. Lastly, I love the fact that myself and @PBMichiganWolverine shared a unicorn tasting of the wonderful 51 year old.
@PBMichiganWolverine In many Asian countries, 17 is a lucky number. I wouldn't mind to taste their 51-year-old, but that was obviously a single cask from 1962.
@cascode Their first few batches stated 'No.: 83-LH88' on the label, which was later changed to 'No.: 04-6137'. I have not seen any other variations, so I guess it has no meaning.
@Slainte-Mhath they also do this prime number aging. 13, 17, 23, 31, 51. Wondering if someone there is superstitious
Great tasting notes - spot on with the bitter herbs. I last tasted this about 5 years ago and at the time there was a camphor touch to the tannins. I don't recall seeing that 04-6137 code at the time but as you say it's probably either meaningless, or something obscure like the blender's lab code for the recipe, or maybe it's even an in-joke. I'd like to think it's the latter 🙂 I had the same experience with time in the bottle - it oxidises very well.
Additional comment: Cragellachie 13 can be confusing or even disappointing at first glance. The neck pour was fairly muted on the nose, and the palate drifted towards unpleasant refill cask bitterness. My first impression was around 81 pts, but water tamed the bitterness, emphazising fruity notes an lifting the score to 82 pts. After some oxygen in the bottle, the bitter notes subsided and I didn't need any water to fully enjoy the dram (84 pts). If you only spend 10-15 min on this malt, you might be disappointed (Serge gave it 79 pts, but I guess this was as part of a 5-6 samples flight). Sometimes, patience is rewarded and you should not jump to conclusions!
Additional information: This review is for a 2019 batch (bottle code L19316ZA80). I assume the 'No.: 04-6137' on the label contains no real information, it is probably just marketing BS.