Tasting 4 Cragganmores

Cragganmore is a very good whisky, but a bit hard to find a big variety of. I've managed to source some samples along with a Blackadder Raw Cask. This session makes for all in all 13 tasted Cragganmores for me, hopefully there will be some more. (I'm sorry for the crappy photo, but I'm now using a crappy old Canon while my Nikon is being repaired).


















Cragganmore 17yo 1988-2006 55.5% OB

Golden color on this one, no added E's. It smells old newspapers and garlic, strange. Sulphur, coriander, juniper, bonfire, unusual to say the least. I'm intrigued so far. The taste is thick and sweet, cinnamon, peppery, caramel, pineapple, musty. The finish is musty, peaty, mustard and red wine vinegar. A very good whisky from an active cask, but still a lot of distillery characteristics.

So thick it's almost like a syrup: 6.5


Cragganmore 29yo 1973-2003 52.5% OB

Again a nice golden hue. At this age you'd perhaps expect a darker whisky, but color more often than not tell nothing at all about the whisky. It smells grainy, musty, sweet, licorice, heather, wool, orange peel, another dirty whisky? The taste is austere, vanilla, grassy, honey, grainy, dried fruits, peat, onions, a lot going on in this one. The finish is peppery.

Expressive whisky, still a bit raw for its age: 6


Cragganmore 21yo 1989-2010 56% OB

This one is a bit more pale. It smells peppery, cut green apples, baking powder, mustard. Much lighter than the others in my opinion. The taste is sweet, bananas, vanilla, cream, the becomes very drying, sour leaves, yoghurt, dry white wine. The finish is peppery and long.

Doesn't live up to the standard set by the previous two: 4


Cragganmore 15yo 1989-2004 57.9% Blackadder Raw Cask cask#1970

Second in a row distilled in 1989, lets hope this one fares a bit better. The color is grey-ish golden. A lot of cask sediments. It smells rich, acidic, syrup, ginger, starch, onions, chili, nutty, burnt sugar, hay. The taste is warming, drying, peppery, chillies, in need of some water I think, it really numbs my palate. With a dash of added water it turns sweeter, green apples, almost cider-ish. Caramel, beetroot, onions, rose water, chestnuts, thyme. Cragganmore is a very variable whisky, but all of these has a lot going on.

Another BIG whisky from Cragganmore: 6.5



Next tasting: Inchgower Distillery