The start of a new collection from John Dewar & Sons
Craigellachie is not usually at the top of the list of most desirable distilleries with most Scotch whisky lovers. Quite wrongly, as evidenced by the title of best Scotch whisky awarded in the World Whiskies Awards in 2017 edition of Craigellachie 31yo. But you don't have to look for such old distillates to delight in - or at least like - the distinctive, fleshy, sometimes slightly sulfurous character of the whisky produced in the heart of Speyside, in the village of the same name.
John Dewars & Sons, owner of m.in. craigellachie distillery, has just announced the release of the first edition as part of a new collection of. Craigellachie 13yo Armagnac Cask Finish is a whisky initially matured in bourbon barrels and then subjected to additional maturation in Bas-Armagnac casks from the northernmost part of the Gascony region. The whisky was bottled after dilution to a strength of 46% vol., bypassing the cold filtration process.
Armagnac, made with a weak wine base, is the oldest European distillate made from grapes, with the first mention of it dating back to 1461. The process of distilling Armagnac is continuous, and takes place in a specially constructed copper alembic, patented in 1918. The distillation process is carried out once, and this alembic is portable and often travels from one vineyard to another to distill the wine of a given vintage.
The strong, decisive character of the Craigellachie distillate copes well with maturation in Armagnac casks, and the combination of the characters of these two spirits results in a powerful, expressive and multifaceted whisky.
Craigellachie 13yo Armagnac Cask Finish will be available soon at a retail price of £52.99.
Craigellachie distillery is owned by John Dewar & Sons. It was founded at the end of the 19th century, and its distinctive pagoda, still preserved today, was built according to the design of Charles Doig himself, the creator of this method of ventilating malt dryers. Admittedly, the work of the local malting plant stopped in 1964, when the number of alembics was doubled and a new glass-walled production hall was built, perfectly visible from the road leading to Speyside Cooperage and on to Dufftown. However, this piece of distillery architecture has become a symbol of the entire Scottish industry and is today carefully cultivated and preserved, even if the supply of barley malt has been outsourced to industrial maltsters. Not far from Craigellachie are other iconic whisky makers, including its closest neighbor, the Macallan distillery located across the River Spey.
The current offerings of the House of Whisky Online include a selection of whiskies produced in Craigellachie, including both official versions, bottled by the manufacturer, and editions from independent distributors. We invite you to visit.
[01.04.2022 / Photo: John Dewar & Sons]