This next chapter on my cask finish series was supposed to go online a few days ago, but between Easter vacations and a rogue bout of flu, things got delayed somewhat. But here we are. Today’s review of the Craigellachie 13 Bas Armagnac is a bit of an outlier from the rest of this series. As I was writing it, I realised it is the only spirit cask finish in the series.
I have to admit that, in part, it might have to do with the fact that, as a wine drinker, I am intrigued by those wine finishes more. But it is also due to some less than stellar impressions left by some spirit-aged whiskies I have tried in the past, especially a few in Rum and Tequila. Having said that, I am always looking to challenge my preconceptions, so if you have a suggestion for other good spirit cask-aged whiskies, do leave a comment! Before I get to today’s review of the Craigellachie 13 year old Bas Armagnac, I wanted to reflect on cask finishes.
TL:DR: True to the Craigellachie style, but when the original is so good, is the extra layer of flavour needed?
Score*: 6.5, Good stuff, just short of very good
Today’s innovation or yesterday’s tradition?
Cask Finishing is widely considered a relatively recent phenomenon which started gaining traction in the 1990s. Some whisky drinkers consider it a modern marketing-driven exercise, masking the true character of a whisky. Bourbon, and preferably refill-Bourbon cask aged whisky, is often mentioned as the purest way to enjoy whisky by the same drinkers. Even less purist drinkers will often maintain that ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry whiskies are the “original” cask finishes, which reflect Scottish Whisky’s heritage. But is it true?
If we take a walk backwards along the history of cask ageing, we’ll find out that -as often the case with widely accepted “traditions”- the truth is more complicated. Bourbon casks are a relatively recent addition to the repertoire of casks used to age whisky in Scotland. They became widespread only in the 20th century. And I would bet that it only picked up after the 1930’s considering the US spirit industry was mostly silent during the prohibition years between 1920 and 1933. If we look further back to the 19th century, Sherry was the prevailing cask used to age whisky. But, as I described in more detail previously, these were not the caks used today, specifically produced for whisky ageing, rather transport casks used to bulk transport sherry to the UK.
If we go further back, records become less reliable, but what is generally believed to be true is that while whisky was originally produced as an unaged spirit (today’s poteen or new make), people started preferring the cask-aged version more and more. What casks were used before Sherry’s dominance in the XIX century? Likely, whatever casks were available. This means predominantly ale and wine. And looking at wine, in the XVIII century the top imports to Britain were for Port, Sherry, Claret (Bordeaux) and Rhine wine (German white wine). So maybe, wine cask ageing is not that new after all, wouldn’t you agree?
Armagnac 101
As with all the other posts in this Cask Finishing series, below you will find an introductory infographic to Bas Armagnac, the cask finish used for the Craigallachie 13 I am about to review. If you prefer jumping to the review directly, click here. And if you want to learn about how Armagnac is distilled in more detail, this video by ArmagnacTV (yes it’s a thing) has a comprehensive description of the process.
Craigellachie 13 Year Old Bas-Armagnac
Specs
Price paid: €47.90 (significantly more expensive now, around the €60 mark)
Lot: L23296
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: Yes
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Casks Used: Matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, then finished in Bas-Armagnac casks for over a year.
Tasting Notes
Colour: A rich bright old gold
Nose: Being a bit of a Craigellachie 13 standard bottling fan, I cannot help but immediately draw comparisons between the two. There are a lot of similarities on the nose. The fruity, ripe apple and pineapple candy backbone is there. So is that slight Craigellachie funk, which, for me, always brings wet wool to mind. But it is also noticeably different. A bit more wood and spice, cinnamon, mostly. There is also more citrus, but it reminds me of a stewed orange rather than a fresh zesty one.
Taste & Finish: Unlike the nose, the similarities to the original are less pronounced on the palate. The texture is quite rich, not exactly mouthcoating, but close. The malt character, with notes of plain tea and oatmeal biscuits, is at the forefront and then a rich citrusy orange note. There is a good amount of spice, cinnamon, ginger and a little white pepper. More complex than the original 13 but, at the same time, less bright and defined.
The finish is medium, retaining a lot of the tastes I got on the palate: malt, citrus and spice. If anything it is spicier than on the palate.
Score*: 6.5, Good stuff, just short of very good
I cannot judge this review of the Craigellachie 13 Bas Armagnac Finish without comparing it to the original 13. But before I do that, let me focus on what I like in this release. Cask-finished whiskies, especially those in the standard lineups of distilleries, often tend to be NAS whiskies. So I appreciate that Craigellachie is giving us an age-stated release, and a 13 year old one at that. I also appreciate that this tastes like a Craigellachie: the cask finish is used judiciously and does not overpower the spirit character.
And while this is a good whisky, it stops short of being very good. And it does so, demonstrating that sometimes keeping things simple is better. The same similarities that make this a recognisable Craigellachie, also highlight the differences to the standard 13. And where the 13 is a bright, juicy dram, here, that character is just a little muddled rather than enhanced by the cask finish. Not to say this is a bad whisky in any way: it is a very pleasant one, but the standard 13 remains a better expression of the distillery to my taste.
* Scores are based on the scoring scale used by Dramface, slightly modified to allow half-points
Interested in my take on a specific whisky style? Check the full Journey here and jump to the relevant Chapter.
After writing my tasting notes, I always find it interesting to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews the Craigellachie 13 Bas Armagnac I enjoyed:
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