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13 is deemed an unlucky number, but together with its retro label it certainly helps Craigellachie to stand out from the crowd. Tangerines, elderflower and a touch of cider make an appearance on the nose, all rather light, fruity and slightly floral. The honeyed arrival is displaced by mango, grapefruit and white pepper, while bitter herbs and tannins are pushing forward. Drying oak, lemon zest and menthol mark the prolonged and sugar-coated finish. Don't be fooled by your first impression, this whisky requires a lot of perseverance to be fully appreciated. RATING: 3.5/5.0 stars ≙ 84 pts → ABOVE AVERAGE

Nose 21.5, taste 21.5, finish 21, balance 21

https://whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com/2024/12/08/oswas-2024-rd-part-2-2/ Though this expression has been around for quite some years [at 46% too], I’ve heard great things about this of late. It wasn’t particularly considered before, so why the hype now? N: On opening, I find a comforting grassy savoury-sour Glen Grant-esque – remember that distillery and its whisky? – sour-leaning Speysider that talks of dried hay/wheat/corn grasses, white bread flour, toasted brioche, simple cake sponge, waxy [ice] cream,… over lemon-ade, lemon [rind – thanks Ralfy], berry tannins, oolong tea, popadoms, a little quality-rich Dutch liquorice,… something oily green – spinach, leek tops, green olives, green grapes, freshly picked tart apples – unmalted barley-like fresh hessian with an inch of leather belt. A month on, a waxed fruit varnish ensues with a floral element, tangerines, mandarines, and white peaches,… Comparing this and An Cnoc 12 side by side [bottle review to follow in due course], there’s not a great deal between them though I’d wager Craigellachie’s complexities rely partly on [more] ex-sherry cask input. Holding onto its youth by the fingernails sets up the dram to unfold. Bourbon and sherry casks bring just the right amount of sweetness to counterbalance the desirable sour side. T: Puckering yet with an oozing oiliness. Add to that, floury fluffy-dry sour, grassy green waxy qualities, the puckering [cask-borne] tannic grape-juice sweet cassia bark nature continuing. So, it wants for water but then it can soon become rather weak. A month on, I find things are more favourable, the sourness and its complexities the feature point but it’s sweetened up as more of the cask influence comes through – bourbon and sherry to my palate – with a bit of a scramble. F: We are soon into the finish which is just as a feature as the palate itself. Flour-dry citrus and [slightly stale] oiliness, papery-ginger, dry sour grapefruit pith and carob/sour liquorice,…. grape pip conclusion – the cask management seemingly elevating the grassy cereal-mash foundation. C: A grower, not a shower, I struggled with this at first [+/-81], but as the weeks have passed by, I’ve come back around. Indeed, Ralfy tells us to take our time, saying “,… it’s not an easy-access malt”. I didn’t see a total transformation nor did I become totally convinced but I’m glad to see Craigellachie on more people’s radar.

Aroma Vanilla, sweet, citrus fruits, spicy notes taste Creamy, spicy, somewhat dry, sweet, tangerines, a little sharpness finish Medium length, citrus fruits, vanilla, spicy oak

Nose-83; Taste-86; Finish-83.

Nice fruity-spicy malt with a great viscous oily mouthfeel. Very good in terms of PGV.

Aroma (22): citruses, pineapple, salt, creme brulee, beeswax (heather), shortbread cookies Taste (22): greasy, dense, saturated, vanilla (a lot) gives off clearly bourbon, juicy, as if Montpensier filled his mouth with a mouthful, lemon meringue, Sicilian red orange, then its crust (even more bitterness of grapefruit streaks) turning into aftertaste Aftertaste (21): of medium duration, more grassy (rhubarb, licorice) with bitterness (herbal liquors are sweet), a pepper appears, a barrel is felt, a certain waxiness, apple bones, salt remains in the background all the time (as if all this was touched with coarse salt) and some metal at the very end Conclusions (22): balanced, chic little milk, I didn’t even know what I liked better (first the aroma, then the taste after standing), basically without drops, evenly

This is a superbly crafted single malt, with a unique taste and certainly not for those with a sweet tooth or Sherry Monster lovers - or maybe it is for those who want a change?

Solid. Good value for money.

A solid start to Craigellachie's core range. The 13yo offers no surprises to those already familiar with this distillate, but it's well balanced and a good purchase in its price range. I was told that cask-wise this release is a combination of 1st fill, refill and recharred casks, which are then combined together into 1st fill bourbon and sherry casks for a finishing period to harmonize the result. Tasted in a lineup of these Craigellachie OBs: 13yo (82 pts.), 17yo (84), 19yo (86), 23yo (89), 23yo Exceptional Cask bot. 2017 @ 46% (87), 19yo Exceptional Cask #128 55,4% (91) and 21yo Exceptional Cask #5009 @ 55,7% (90).

Aroma: I like light honey with bitterness, orange zest, melon, sugar, freshly cut grass, and just a little bit of smoke ... Taste: sweet at first, alcohol and herbal bitterness stick out a little. Aftertaste: medium duration, apricot kernels turning into black pepper and spices ... Very unusual Molt. He definitely liked it. Suddenly. Great experience. 86

I had higher hopes as I really like they 23. This is good, but the peppery sherried combination is not my favorite.

Balance (21) Not at all bad (85.5)

A solid entry level malt whisky, full of aromas and flavors that are discernable and integrated. A little more age and proof would help this whisky. An entry level whisky on the high side of the rating scale. Creamy, honeyed with nice citrus and malty aroma and flavor. The finish is the letdown.

Autumn whisky for every day. Excellent balance at all stages. One of the best representatives of his age ????????

I'd forgotten how good a distillery bottling this really is. Balanced, complex, challenging and distinctive. Probably not for everybody, but a great presentation at 46%, no colour and NCF. The nose has satisfying layers of herbal, fruit and savoury. The palate has an enjoyably rich mouthfeel as the profile switches tack. The tail resonates with both the palate and the nose and brings it all home. Masterful stuff.

Very nice whisky, active casks and proper age.

Not bad, not great, but decent enough at a decent price

A bit of the spicy part of the Speyside. It's a round whisky, with some fruit on the nose but over all there are balanced spices. Not too much, so not a spice bomb, but it's the primary flavour.

Aroma: delicate, vanilla-grain, white bread, dry oatmeal, bran, sweet candies, ripe pear; over time, the fruitiness opens up even more, becomes sweeter, the pear has already been watered with honey, melon, honeycomb, sawdust, burnt log. A very light and delicate aroma, it is rather a minus than a plus, but at the same time everything is balanced and perfectly combined. Taste: bright, honey, light peppery notes, woody tannins, bitter citrus zest, lime tea with honey, slightly burnt wood and sulfur. Finish: warm, ginger, vanilla, honey, melon, a lot of bitter lime zest, burnt wood, wet matches, longer than average. Score: 85 Bottom line: the malty, sweet-fruity bourbon Speyside, what you want to get from the initial line of official bottling, really liked!

The Craigallachie 13 is a bold, robust, and rather atypical Speyside whisky. The worm tubs used in its production impart a strong, meaty character. The sweetness is subtle but always present. The interplay between spice and sweetness works superbly. It has a certain "dirty" quality that sets it apart from other single malts. It benefits from some aeration in the glass and bottle. It offers enough potential to be rediscovered time and again. The production method and the incredible value for money make it a top whisky in its class. It really belongs on every whisky shelf. I know it will always be on mine.

Very fruity, I like the nose a lot. If the taste were a bit less bitter I'd like this a lot more, but overall this is still quite nice.

Unexpectedly balanced standard with a fine sweetness and mild oak note that carries the whisky without being too overloaded or too weak.

Craigellachie 13YO Category: Single Malt Producer and bottler: Craigellachie Distillery (Bacardi) Region: Speyside ABV: 46% Volume: 700 ml Bottling batch number: 04-6137 Bottling date: 08/18/2020 Cask Type: Refill American Oak Casks Min. age: 13 years Filtration: none Dye: no Nose. Intense, bright, with motifs of baked fruits (pineapples, peaches, oranges, apples and pears), a little dark honey, toffee, cookies with nuts, a little sulfur and earthy aromas, hot spices. The nose is not as fresh as many Speysides of similar age; there is a small amount of minerality, which gives the style of this whisky a certain degree of individuality. However, one would not yet dare to call it heavy due to the youth of the alcohols. Taste. Sweetish-sharp with baked fruit, malty and nutty tones, honey, herbal motifs, paraffin-sulfur flavor and bitter spices (cloves, cinnamon, pepper) at the end. Juicy, fresh, voluminous, but slightly harsh. Aftertaste. Average. Dry, astringent. Spices, nuts, oil. Summary. An interesting whisky, with its own individual characteristics, but clearly not yet fully and finally formed into a unique harmonious ensemble. For now, these are just the beginnings of a truly excellent whisky, which will become a more aged Craigellachie, a solid, high-quality, pleasant young malt. Score: 84 out of 100.

Smell: It looks like I walked into the bathroom just after cleaning, but it is not very pungent. I turned around. It was a salty egg yolk cake, with a rich sense of oil, very tempting, smelling hungry. . The main melody of the tail section has not changed much, adding some sulfur soap, rose petals and a touch of orange peel. The aroma is concentrated and powerful. Drink: The wine has a full sense of fat and a little burning. After drinking, the salty freshness explodes in the mouth, enriching every taste bud, and it has not been dispersed for a long time. Sense: The main theme dominated by salty and fresh sulfur is not self-confident. It can still get involved in multiple flavor camps, and together with other camp partners to construct some novel and interesting flavors. In terms of taste, it is more powerful and salty. It is a very goway whisky.

Well balanced. Interesting nose. Lacks complexity in the finish. Good for the price.

Funky and farmy with a solid palate. Not easy. Good complexity on the palate, but the most important complexity is that the differences from nose to palate to finish flow into each other very well. It fits into the same category as Springbank 10 (being 'weird'), but this one does it better. Important note: although a 'neck pour' is not always a thing, with this one it is. The sharpness on the nose goes away after a few months. Alternatively, half an hour in the glass with some swirls also helps if you just opened the bottle. This score is based on a new bottle with 30 minutes in the glass. A bottle opened for half a year would be a point higher, a new bottle without aeration would be 2 points lower.

Hard to describe, maybe if glen scotia 15 and glendronach 12 had a baby? Thinner less viscous than the Glen scotia 15 but with some of the same caramel and savoury notes. A superb entry level malt and very drinkable. Highly recommended.

Buy again? Yes Recommend? Yes Drink if offered? Yes

деревенский сэм с яблоками, тяжеловат

Een fris fruitige geur. Smaak is ook fris, naar gebakken zure appel. En een vleug vanille. Wel een scherp randje van alcohol, wat je van een 13 jarige niet verwacht. Een druppel water geeft verbetering.