Style: Fruity and Complex
Nose:
Dense fragrance, ample apricot jam followed by free flowing white flower nectar. Powerful peppermint drive, more apricots, incensed wood spice combines with tasty sugar plums. Subtle lemon balm, stewed fruits gently highlighted, chocolate oak softly infused giving a hint of tobacco leaves bitterness. Beautiful sweetness.
Palate:
Powerful yet delicate entrance – gentle white peaches and apricots riding on a mighty wave of peppermint and black peppercorn spices. Honey, jammy sweetness sitting on top of a layer of waxiness. Light whispers of citrus lemon, sticky apricots, botrytis buzzing. Delicate and complex sweetness, so nice! Transits to a drier phase as cedar wood slowly tunes up with a generous brush of chalkiness.
Finish:
Polished furniture, earthy, cherry liquorice with more syrupy white peaches. Delicate but how good is this?!
Thoughts:
I feel pretty blessed as this bottle was a spontaneous buy, glad that my blind faith pays off (Hint: It was not cheap). So elegant yet the musky fruitiness make you always want to come back for more. All the other Cragganmore elements – wood smoke, liquorice, earthy chalkiness build up the complexity beautifully. A superb cask selected by Adelphi. Top dram.
☆☆ [Highly Recommended]
[59.2% • 2016 Bottled • 1986 Distilled • Independent Bottling • Single Cask • Cask Strength • Non Coloured • Non Chill Filtered • Cask Number: 1490 • 168 Bottles • **+]
-Esmond
WhiskNick 