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| Hello, that is considered one of our (nearly) each day tastings. Santé! |
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November 18, 2024
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A duo of Cragganmore and a uncommon bonus
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Let’s be clear instantly, we’re very happy to see a couple of unbiased Cragganmore releases once more over the previous two or three years. At present, we’ll be tasting two of them, as they’re not precisely in abundance, and we’ll take the chance so as to add a bonus whose solely connection to Cragganmore is that it begins and ends with the identical letters. It’s a little bit of an oddity, however ready for a correct sparring accomplice might take months and months, particularly because the distillery has been closed for a very long time.
(Convalmore Distillery, Anne Burgess geograph.co.uk)
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Cragganmore 1989/2023 (45.8%, Malts of Scotland, Uncommon Casks, sherry hogshead, cask #MoS 23003, 120 bottles) 
What a splendid sequence these ‘Uncommon Casks’ from Malts of Scotland proceed to be! So far as Cragganmore is worried, I imagine 1989 is the classic most often encountered amongst unbiased bottlers over the previous twenty years or so—although I’m not suggesting it’s considerable. By the way, the current 1985 COD for Wu Dram Clan and HK was excellent (WF 91). Color: deep gold. Nostril: it opens like an previous Armagnac, imagine it or not, with luxurious sultanas and prunes upfront earlier than transitioning right into a maltier realm stuffed with chocolate, chicory, espresso, muesli, toasted brioche, and turrón. In essence, the makings of a champion’s breakfast, as they are saying in these TV advertisements. Mouth: mirrors that previous Armagnac vibe earlier than veering confidently into aged malt territory, highlighted by correctly heavy Italian espresso (‘or is just not espresso’, as our Italian buddies maintain reminding us). A contact of leather-based and tobacco follows, main gracefully to sturdy black tea. End: lengthy, certainly, with dominant notes of sturdy black tea and barely burnt, bitter caramel. That acquainted turrón then asserts itself, accompanied by hints of bitter oranges. Feedback: not overly advanced, however completely constructed and paying homage to the official bottlings from a couple of years again, these on the daybreak of the Traditional Malts period.
SGP:561 – 90 factors. |
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Cragganmore 31 yo 1989/2020 (54.7%, The First Editions, Hunter Laing, refill hogshead, cask #HL17820, 242 bottles)
Color: straw. Nostril: immensely fascinating, because it highlights how sherry can each elevate a whisky to one thing really distinctive whereas often suppressing the intricacies of the distillate. Right here, we’re all about finesse: delicate fruits, white and yellow berries, blossoms, and herbs, with a touch of varnish and a subtly ‘deviant’ high quality (in one of the simplest ways), akin to dandelion honey. In case you haven’t smelled that, do attempt—it’s fairly not like the flower itself. There’s an evolving resemblance to a calmly macerated white wine, or at the very least one which’s been stirred on the lees. Chardonnay involves thoughts. It’s a pleasure to float into the world of wine right here. With water: waxiness paying homage to Clynelish! It solely will get higher… Mouth (neat): beautifully targeted on citrus, and small, barely bitter apples and pears. Nothing extra, nothing much less at first. With water: might we double-check the cask stencil or the barcode? Blindfolded, I’d guess Clynelish, circa 1983. End: lengthy, filled with wax and white fruits, with that particular contact of cédrat. I instructed you—Clynelish vibes. Feedback: chic, with an additional level or two for its fragrant lineage. One other malt to problem your whisky-loving buddies in a blind tasting.
SGP:651 – 91 factors. |
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Convalmore 39 yo 1984/2024 (51.1%, Gordon & MacPhail, The Recollection Collection #3, refill sherry hogshead, cask #1733, 108 bottles)
Quite attribute of Gordon & MacPhail to not look ahead to this dram to hit a extra symbolic forty years earlier than bottling, a step many others may need taken. And at 51.1%, it is actually not a query of low ABV compelling an early launch. Convalmore, let’s keep in mind, met its finish in 1985 throughout the business’s second wave of closures, the buildings being now a part of the William Grant advanced in Dufftown. And will there be wax right here as effectively? Color: mild mahogany. Nostril: an intriguing previous bourbon-like high quality emerges, stuffed with macarons and a touch of wooden glue, quickly adopted by a big bag of varied nuts—together with the bag itself (suppose burlap)—and a waft of rose petals. It is a charming nostril, transporting one straight to the shores of the Bosphorus with a plate of Turkish delight. Not a lot wax up to now. With water: notes of balsamic, sturdy espresso, and walnut husk be a part of the combination. Merely magnificent. Mouth (neat): paying homage to venerable VORS sherry, previous Maury, chocolate infused with brandy, maple syrup, fig jam, and even dulce de leche with a touch of honeyed candy tea. It actually speaks volumes. With water: prune soaked in brandy, aged plum, a contact of mint, black tea, and even a touch of broth for good measure. Noticeably drier than anticipated from the nostril. End: sweetness makes a comeback within the type of sultanas. But, oddly sufficient, any trace of wax appears absent, maybe is it deftly hidden behind the slightly luxurious sherry. Remaining flourish of candied oranges. Feedback: tasted blind, with out the Convalmore profile contemporary in thoughts, and contemplating the sherry’s distinguished voice, one may need guessed an previous ‘D’ from the Cromarty Firth. Richly laden, however completely top-notch.
SGP:651 – 90 factors. |
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