From sixteen to seventeen, time to slowly take another step up the ladder of teenage whiskies with this review of the Craigellachie 17 years old. I have reviewed Craigellachie previously, both the 13 and its Armagnac finished version, and it is fair to say I am a fan. But will the extra age mean an even better drinking experience?
Disclaimer: The title of this series of reviews in no way encourages underage drinking; it is a tribute to the Undertones and their famous hit, “Teenage Kicks,” one of the best songs to come out of the UK punk scene.
TL:DR: A very solid Speysider, if you give it time to open up
Score: 7, Very Good Stuff
Let’s talk about Echo Chambers
The Craigellachie 17 year old I am about to review is one of those whiskies that has firmly earned a place in the heart of many whisky lovers since its launch in 2014. From the get go, this whisky was positioned in a premium price category. While its 13 year old counterpart is deservedly seen as a great value buy, this one, as well as the 23, was launched as a premium-priced bottling.
And yet, even despite its high price tag, this is one of those bottles many whisky aficionados will swear by almost unanimously. Yours truly included. And yet, as you’ll read in more detail in my review, once I sampled this blind along with the rest of the whiskies in this series, I was underwhelmed. And I started doubting myself. Did I get it completely wrong? Not completely, as I am about to explain.
Was I a victim of the dreaded Echo Chamber? Absolutely. Which really drove home why blind tastings are important, besides the simple fact that they can be a lot of fun. Blind tasting do offer a more level playing field where preconceived ideas fade in the background and objectivity has at least a chance. Not to say blind tastings are perfect: time of day, what you ate before, your mood, etc all play a role in affecting how you judge a dram. And yet, imperfect as they are, they can open our senses and eyes to things we were oblivious to. It’s not a matter of blind vs visible labels tastings, but rather using both as a way to balance each other.
Craigellachie 17 years old
Specs
Price paid: €89.90
Lot: L23130ZA801
ABV: 46%
Natural colour: Yes (not declared on the bottle but stated on the website)
Non-chill filtered: Yes (not declared on the bottle but stated on the website)
Casks Used: Initially in a mixture of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks (presumedly second fill). Vatted and then 50% of the ‘blend’ is finished in first-fill Sherry casks, and 50% in first-fill Bourbon.
Tasting Notes
Colour: A warm amber. If I didn’t know how this is aged, I would have guessed there would be more sherry than stated.
Nose: Initially disappointingly closed, which is not great for a whisky coming with this price tag. For the first 20-30 minutes, it is surprisingly “average”. Some faint fruit, malt and sherry notes. And then it blossoms.
Pineapple candy and dried pineapple, lime zest, vanilla, loads of malt and grain notes – dry barley, malted biscuits- then vanilla and toffee. There is a little note of wet pebbles, a hint of lanolin and sulphur and some baking spice. It has a lovely elegance without sacrificing some of the vibrancy, which I always get in the 13.
Taste & Finish: Rich and oily, the taste still retains a hint of pineapple, but the grain-driven notes take over, featuring notes of pastry, dried barley, and porridge, along with biscuits. Some spice, white pepper, ginger, caramel, vanilla, oak and a very faint whiff of smoke, just to remind me that yes, Craigellachie does use a small amount of peated malt.
The finish is medium, initially bringing back a lot of pineapple notes, grilled this time, malt, a little waxiness and a touch of pepper on the finish. Compared to the rest of the experience, it is perhaps slightly underwhelming
Score*: 7, Very Good Stuff
I must confess, I approached this review convinced I would score this one an 8 or above. The Craigellachie 17 in this review is one of those malts I have hyped myself, caught in the wave of the love this one gets in much of the whisky aficionados’ community. Arguably a case of whisky community echo chamber. But I had never sat down and spent time properly tasting it. Nor comparing it blind to its peers. And when I did, I was, very honestly, disappointed. (Subscribe to my newsletter if you are interested in getting the notes from that blind tasting.)
I always try a whisky 3-4 times before reviewing it, one of the reasons my post frequency stays relatively low. This time, I gave this a couple of extra chances. I couldn’t believe I had been so wrong in my initial enthusiasm. And I gave it more time. And once well over 30 minutes had passed after pouring my dram, it transformed. It properly blossomed. And became a very good whisky, maybe even more than that. But considering the overall experience, I feel a 7 is the fair rating for this one.
I cannot explain it. Maybe the bottle I have is going through an odd phase and will open up as time goes by. Be as it may, this is another proof that the “one minute in the glass per year in the cask” rule does not stand the test of practice. I have had whiskies which are beautiful right off the bottle and some, like this one, which need more time. In any case, it is a beautiful whisky, but one that maybe deserves a little less hype than it gets.
* 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 of Craigellachie 17 I enjoyed:
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Wonderful review, thanks for your honest impressions.
Thank you Daniel, glad you enjoyed it.