52,9°
Distillery : Cragganmore - Speyside
Refill Hogshead, 1st Fill Port Barrique, 2d Fill Barrel Finish
Independent Bottling
By Decadent Drinks
Limited Edition
Single Cask
Bottled in 2024
Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength
Totally Unpeated
This 37-year-old Cragganmore is a very special edition, having been matured three times, first for 30 years in a Hogshead Refill, then for 5 years in a 1st Fill Port Barrique, and finally for two years in a 2d Fill Barrel, presumably of Bourbon. All in all, only 72 bottles were produced, and they disappeared as quickly as they arrived.
Let's Taste It :
It smells of old, old varnished wood, parchment, beeswax and semi-salted butter, with torrents of red fruit, raspberry coulis, cherry clafoutis, redcurrant jam, rum baba, nougatine, blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants. Apple crumble, sprinkled with cinnamon, cannoli with a zest of grapefruit, shortbread biscuits. Vanilla cream. Touches of menthol. It's full-bodied on the palate, we have a cheekful of fruit, cherries, redcurrants, blood oranges in particular, with aniseed and liquorice. Perfectly integrated spices, nutmeg, cloves. The finish is very long, like a slow-moving tidal wave, with the fruit becoming woodier and more jammy, and herbaceous notes of thyme and parsley. A pinch of salt and resin, soft caramel, a very slight acidic tinge, and you sink into the earth.
In Short,
It's truly magnificent, from start to finish. A shock. The Port is very present, but not overpowering, it's more like an intense Sherry, like Pedro Ximénez, but less sweet and more fruity. And there's a balance with the Bourbon influence, which ensures a nice solidity on the palate, it's perfect. Of course, the price is depressing, but this is a very rare product.
Score : 91
To Be Listened While Sipping :
Raw Soul - I Need You
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