The youngest of the Bottle-Share, and definetly one that is not a blenders’ whisky. Cragganmore has been part of the Classic Malt as long as I can remember, and although I’m not particularly fond of the regular expression and the distiller’s edition, I usually really enjoy the independent releases and premium Diageo bottlings. Let’s hope this one lives up to my expectations!

Nose:
Pretty solid spirit with more of a Highland character than a typical Speyside nose. Well, according to me. Pretty strong with vanilla, old wrinkled lemon with some sweetness in the background. Chalky and biscuits.

Taste:
A bit of tongue burner but it gets a lot smoother very quickly. Creme brulee with a chalky note to it. Again the old lemon and shortbread. I like this kind of stuff 😉

Finish:
The finish is quite long with a reasonable amount of wood and sweetness. The fierceness lingers for a while before giving way to some crisp vanilla and lemon. A hint of coconut?

I really like this type of whisky with the chalky American oak flavours. I also found it in some other low-highland whiskies like Glencadam and such. The intensity is great but not overpowering other flavours.

Cragganmore 19, Bladnoch Forum, 8-3-1991 – 12-07-2010, 53.8%, available from Master of Malt.

Nose: 8
Taste: 8
Finish: 8
Overal experience: 8
Price/quality: +2

Total: 34 points