Soba45
Craigellachie 13 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
January 12, 2018 (edited October 21, 2024)
They say the cask makes up to 2/3rds of the whiskey flavour and for me for non peated whiskies usually the cask quality and type are centre stage and the new make is second fiddle. There are exceptions of course and this is one of them. I'm pretty sure the cask type was chosen not to get in the way of the new makes profile as I don't get a lot past sweet vanilla, spice, pepper etc but man the underlying spirit is sure interesting. I love this type of dram. It's not as meaty as say a Mortlach but everything is perfectly balanced. I'd love to see what another type of casking could do for this one. $60USD here and 4.25 at least. As an update / aside I found a sample of Mortlach Special Strength and cracked it open to compare. Similar profile but the Mortlach is heavier more sulfuric slightly harsher aftertaste. I like both for different reasons but the Craig 13 takes it for me even before you add in the 40% cheaper price....better balance. The Craig 13 I could drink endlessly the Mortlach not so much.
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Cheers R_I_D :-). Yeah when my finances recover from Dramfest and the 3 nights prior in my home away from home (The Last Word bar) this is the first bottle I'll be buying. Would love to try the 23 Lee but it's a stupid price at nearly $550USD. I'll have to content myself with a sample of the 17. I can say I have had a 22 year Hunter and Laing at the dramfest... sadly wasn't that great but I did try after their 16 year Laphroaig which was stunning!
I’ve been wanting to try the Craigellachie 23 ever since I tried the 13. Their spirit profile is so different and interesting. The odd fact that they only release prime numbered age statements is also a “whisky nerd” factoid that would make a great trivia question.
Great review. I have a bottle of this en-route to my house and can’t wait to open it.
Cheers. The more distilleries I try the more I'm getting into the variation and distinctions between the new make. I've also realised you don't have to spend a fortune to get a really great drop. $100USD and under covers off a large chunk of my favourite whiskies and many such as this are well under that mark. looking forward to the sample of the 17 i have tucked away :-)
Good review - yes, it is very spirit driven.