Craigellachie 13 Year Armagnac Cask Finish

One of the many drams enjoyed during our ( @Richard-ModernDrinking , @ctbeck11 , @PBMichiganWolverine and @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington ) quarterly virtual tasting was this Craigellachie 13 finished in Bas-Armagnac casks that was kindly provided by @Richard-ModernDrinking The nose starts with a mix of musty grapes, mango, lime and smoking matchstick then hay bales, vanilla cream puff and chocolate covered chewy caramels followed by prunes, tangerine and ruby red grapefruit that transitions to white pepper, cloves and dusty leather-bound books with low ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with creamy fruits of musty grapes, mango, pineapple and a mild matchstick smoke then vanilla cream puff, honeysuckle, rosemary and chocolate covered chewy caramels followed by prunes, tangerine and caramelized nectarines that transitions to white pepper, cloves, leather-bound books and light polished oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with musty grapes, creamy tropical fruits, light matchstick smoke, white pepper, cloves, and dusty leather-bound books. Similar to the regular 13, the nose is fairly restrained but with time the flavors began to emerge with light musty grapes leading underscored by tropical fruits and mild sulfur smoke along with creamy sweets, slightly sour fruits and light dusty leather-bound books that carried over to the palate with richer and bolder flavors than on the nose with a light Armagnac presence leading along with creamy sweet tropical fruits underscored by a light sulfuric smoke along with herbs, creamy sweets, caramelized citrus fruits and light dusty leather-bound books that finished medium length with musty grapes upfront before creamy fruits which fade into mild sulfur, spices and light dusty leather-bound books. Another delightful release from Craigellachie that the Armagnac influence is very restrained which adds light musty grapes and leather-bound books to the regular 13-year-old profile. In a side by side with the regular vs the Armagnac finish, I’d say they are extremely close, but the Armagnac manages to edge out the regular for me with those musty and old book notes. At a price between $65-70, I think this is well worth the cost.

Nose: Fresh-cut hay, lemon oil, apple skins, gentle oak, a little vanilla. Allowing it some time to open in the glass adds depth but does not change the balance, the main difference being the appearance of cereal and dusty oak aromas. Adding water brings balance and even greater depth, with porridge and warm brioche emerging. Palate: The arrival is sweet and spritzy with zesty cinnamon and pepper spices over lemon custard. Semi-sweet tropical fruit comes forward in the development with honeyed herbs (rosemary, sage, tarragon) and some ale-like notes. There is a singular herbal and slightly briny character to the palate. The texture is creamy, particularly once reduced, and water also shows up sweet notes in the palate that are otherwise hidden. Finish: Medium. Sweet/briny citrus with beery notes. Reduction shortens but considerably softens the finish. This bottle changed a great deal once it was opened, and my notes above are based on it once it had sat at about 2/3 full for a month. Initially both the aromas and flavours were sharp and hot with aggressive, astringent citrus and herbal notes in abundance. However with time and oxygen it softened dramatically. The nose gained depth with peach and apple appearing, and the palate relaxed to a surprising degree with marshmallow lemon pie replacing the initial lemon flavours that were almost bitter. It is generally similar in profile to standard Craigellachie 13 (which also changes with oxidization, but to a lesser degree). There is the definite presence of something else at work here but if I had not known that ex-armagnac casks had played a role in the maturation I would never have guessed. It certainly does not show the characteristic presence of brandy casks, and if anything I would have guessed at palo cortado or fino sherry maturation. This bottle (batch code L23186ZA800 1319) was a birthday present from Mrs Cascode and we were a little disappointed on first tasting it, however over time it has opened wonderfully into an interesting and enjoyable dram. Initially I would only have given it 78/100, but as it is now, and particularly with a few drops of water, it is worth a higher score. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

We (as in @pkingmartin , @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington , @Richard-ModernDrinking and @ctbeck11 ) had our quarterly online tasting. This was one of the spectacular pours of the evening. The other four were 1) Bardstown Chateau Laubade batch 1 2) 2021 Diageo Special Release Lagavulin 12, 3) Barrell 20yr Seagrass, and 4) 15yr Jacob’s Well. This was sent courtesy of @Richard-ModernDrinking I would never have thought Craigellechie and Armagnac marry well. But it makes sense. There’s a certain rustic quality about Craigellechie, which is shared by Armagnac. In this case, the Armagnac is subtle, and let’s the malt be front and center, but you know it’s there…makes it’s presence known, just not assertively. Nose is herbal, briny, lemons. Whiff of sulfurous smoke. Taste : oolong tea, lemons, some earthiness. Really well balanced. Tasted blind, I’d have guessed Springbank 10. In fact, if you can’t find Springbank, buy this instead. For $65-70, this is a great VFM. In fact, I immediately bought one this afternoon. Thanks again @Richard-ModernDrinking for the generous pour!

To start, I’m definitely a fan of the Craigallachie 13 and I’m giving this the same score as I gave my beloved 13. Nose: If you are familiar with the normal Craigallachie 13 this is nearly indistinguishable on the nose. Just a touch less spikey and a very small hint of darker fruit. All the wonderful intense light fruit with an industrial backbone is definitely still there. Palate: I was doing a back to back A-B comparison with the original 13 and this is very close. Mouthfeel is still very oily. A touch less bright and intense than the original 13 but with an the added depth of leather and dark fruit, like plum. The industrial, almost diesel like, backbone is still there and is still wonderful. Finish: This is where the Bas-Armangnac really shows up. The finish is still quite long but a fair amount darker and richer with some more spice than the original 13. Thoughts: The original 13 feels more appropriate for spring/summer and the Bas-Arnamgnac feels more appropriate for fall/winter. Both very, very nice.

I've become a self confessed Craigellachie fan boy over the last 2-3 years. From some IB's to the exceptional casks all the way down to the 13 year, I've had a few off ones, but overall they've been wonderful! Nose - Musty grapes, touch of citrus oak, bit of light funk. There's a hint of oak smoke and a slight toast base. Taste - Ok, up front it's lovely sweetness, funky toasted heavy oak, funk and a white wine note. It's not doing me anything or any good here. But let me put my head back around this. This is coming off differently than when I last had this. Last time the funky oak note that the worm tubs can often give me an off putting finish. Now the finish is a weird, really weird white wine, certainly no armagnac I've had. Now the oaky/nutty thing is still here for sure. I love Craigellachie, I get a lot of great notes here. I hate the bas-armagnac impact here. I'll give it a 1.75, there's just way too many better bottles. But it's unique and there's a place for that.

Got a great deal on this... But it is worth every penny of it MSRP. Nose: Developed more and more as i drank it. Almost a baked cinnamon apple candle developed. palate: this developed over the entire dram. A little hot at first, but more ad more flavors popped. Started with a some notes, then built into a little apple sweetness. A hint of mint popped up at times too. And there was also a pickle aftertaste too, not a bad vinegar, but more of a briney, saltiness. Absolutely fantastic scotch. Very unique.