Craigellachie 17 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Craigellachie 17 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the middle age of the distillery's core range, aged 17 years and bottled at 92 proof without chill filtration or caramel colouring. Worm-tub condensers keep more sulfur in the new make than modern condensers would, and that sulfur is why Craigellachie drinks meaty and savory instead of light and floral. Seventeen years in mixed ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, then a finish split between first-fill sherry and first-fill bourbon, rounds the 13-year's sharper edge into pineapple and vanilla without sanding off the chew. It is not the 13 and not the 23.

Canned pineapple and vanilla lead, with toffee and a Brazil-nut richness underneath. The meaty, savory note sits in the body rather than on the nose, and the mouthfeel is oily. The finish dries on nutty cereal, dark chocolate, and a last flicker of tropical fruit.