Whisky : Cragganmore 16 Year SMWS 37.127 “Coconut curry down the Douro Valley”

Country/Region : Scotland/Speyside

ABV : 56.4%

Cask : First Fill Madeira Hogshead

Age : 16 Years (Distilled 11 June 2002)

Nose : Waxy notes of dried coconut flesh, dried mango, cosmetics, and beeswax.  Freeze dried strawberries, ripe tropical passion fruit, and fresh cut acidic pineapple round out a sweet fruit filled aroma. 

Palate : Medium bodied with rich syrupy honey notes.  Honey drenched butter roll, passion fruit, gummy bears, citrus zest— very sweet and sugary.  An herbal astringency lends itself to the image of herbal passion fruit tea with a huge spoonful of honey.  A faint salt note emphasizes the rich throat soothing honey quality.

Finish : Long and lingering, herbal notes and honey.

Score : 6

Mental Image : Pooh Bear’s Secret Moonshine.

Something Better : Amrut 8Y Ex-Rum KWM (similar tropical fruit/honey, more salt/pastries)

Something Similar : Arran 14Y (similar tropical fruit/dried mango, more spice, less honey)

Something Worse : Strathisla 12Y SMWS 58.32 (more candies/gummy bears, less complexity)

Notes :  Our tasting group was evenly split on this one— one person ranked it as their favorite of the evening, another put it at the bottom.  A few people thought it was incredibly disappointing, a few adored the rich honey notes.

A month after the tasting I returned to try this one again and it really opened up with time to breath.  There was a lot more complexity than my original notes hinted at— a greater depth to the tropical fruits on the nose and an incredible richness to the palate.  The Madeira came through incredibly powerfully, so if you do not like Madeira or strong wine influence, probably steer clear of this one.  The only dram that packs a better honey punch than this is probably drinking mead— or some kind of honey infused spirit.   While this was not a profile I typically enjoy, it had enough depth that I did enjoy sipping on it and I would happily accept a pour of this if offered.  It is a solid dessert dram and would likely appeal to fans of cognac or brandy who are looking for a scotch to sip on.