Whisky: Craigellachie 15 Year (2005), Gordon & MacPhail for Broken Barrel Club

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 56.5%

Cask: Refill Bourbon Barrel

Age: 15 Years (Distilled 2005, Bottled 30 Nov. 2020)

Nose: Grassy, sweet, and herbal. Notes of honey and chamomile tea relaxed the senses with mint, dandelion greens, and hints of citrus. Crushed tart blackberries and mint brought a blackberry mojito to mind, one topped with whip cream as a slight cream and salt crept in behind green clovers and grass stains.

Palate: Medium-bodied and mouth coating with citrus, herbs, and almond. Bright and sweet, notes of honey, hay, and pressed florals washed across the palate. Further in were herbal sweet grassy notes of honeysuckle, orange blossom, and dandelion tea. A mellow dry nuttiness developed on the back end with roasted almonds atop an orange sponge cake. A few drops of water further developed the latent floral notes with hints of tangerine.

Finish: Lingering notes of toasted almonds and fruit blossom.

Score: 7 

Mental Image: Galadriel’s Lothlórien Tea Party

Notes: First up, a brief disclaimer, I consider the fellow who selected this cask to be a good friend. While I do not think that affected my rating, I believe it is important to mention that entanglement. Gordon & MacPhail bottled this cask, along with four others, for a local restaurant group and the bougie wine and cheese section of a local grocery store chain. Their combined buying group uses a couple of different names, but they labeled everything "Broken Barrel Club" for their scotch selections.

The Craigellachie was by far the best of the lot. Some of the others were good; the Ledaig and Caol Ila they selected had great classic distillery profiles. The Dalmore stood out as slightly different from a typical distillery profile. The Craigellachie was fantastic and punched above the other casks. The subtle herbal and floral notes usually appear on somewhat more mature bottles; they are central elements of the standard 17 and 23 Year releases. So this cask showed an early maturity with a clean and balanced profile. A few drops of water subtly transformed the dram as more floral and tangerine notes surfaced.  

Overall, this was lovely.  A subtle and sweet Craigellachie with a notable structure on the palate as the dram moved through different levels of flavor.