Whisky: Craigellachie 15 Year (2006), Douglas Laing for K&L

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 57.7%

Cask: Sherry Butt

Age: 15 Year (Distilled May 2006, Bottled Oct. 2021)

Nose: Dried fruits, dates, orange peel, maple syrup, wet leather, new sneakers, candle wick, hints of grape Nerds and sugary candies.

Palate: Medium-bodied, fruity, earthy, herbal, fresh dates and black grapes, potting soil, clay, green sand, roasted barley tea and fenugreek.

Finish: Medium-length and drying with earth and subtle fruit.

Score: 5

Mental Image: World Mud Wrestling Championship

Narrative & Notes: The nose featured dueling flavor sets: dried fruits on one side and slightly funky sulfur on the other. Dried dates and plums mixed with maple syrup, orange peel, and rose hip on the side of the fruits, while wet leather, new sneakers, and extinguished candle wicks repped a mellow, funky sulfur set of notes. In the background were occasional hints of sugary fruity candies; grape-flavored Nerds and Jolly Ranchers. The flavor profile featured another duel— earth and fruit back at it again. Fresh dates and black grapes took one side, while potting soil, sculpting clay, green sand, and mud masks took the other. Toward the end of the struggle, a more herbaceous side popped in with boricha (roasted barley tea) and ground fenugreek. The finish was medium-length and drying with earth, straw, and dried fruit.

In this instance, the refill sherry butt and worm tub condensers used at Craigellachie combined to produce a startlingly earthy spirit. While the nose appeared a bit sulfured, those same notes fell more squarely into the category of earthy-dirty on the palate. This was no sulfur bomb, so unless you are sensitive to sulfur on whiskies, I doubt that will be an issue. Yet, it was not a well-balanced whisky as the sweet fruit and dry earth constantly seemed in combat with one another. The herbal elements at the end were nice, but again, not really complimentary to the other flavor notes.

Overall, sometimes cask and spirit work wonders together— sometimes they do not. This was not the first sherried Craigellachie I have had that appeared a bit too earthy with a bit of a sulfur funk that sometimes brought popcorn to mind. If you are a fan of the style, there was a lot to love about this whisky— I am not, and I think I will stick to my ex-bourbon Craigellachie instead.

Image Credit: Whisky Base