Cragganmore Distillery takes its rock face of a name from the mountain in whose shadow it sits. And this is a whisky with many high approaches and hidden valleys of flavour. Known as the most complex aroma on Speyside, it must also be one of the most delightful because the distillery can’t keep up with demand. Cragganmore Distillery, on the banks of the river Spey, is home to this complex and characterful malt whisky. In 1869, Big John Smith – said to have been the most experienced distiller of his day – founded Cragganmore. He persuaded his landlord, Sir George Macpherson-Grant, to lease him the land to build a new distillery at Ballindalloch beside the Strathspey railway line. and using this, his business acumen and skill as a distiller, turned Cragganmore into a popular, high-quality single malt whisky.
Cragganmore 12 Year Old has a beautiful and enticing gold colour. The aromas are a combination of sweet floral fragrances, riverside herbs and flowers with some honey and vanilla. “The most complex nose of any Single Malt Scotch Whisky” (Michael Jackson). It has a firm, rounded body, which is light to medium in its mouthfeel. There is a strong malty taste combined with hints of sweet wood smoke and sandalwood. It has a long, malt-driven finish with light smoke and hints of sweetness.
Ballindalloch, on the banks of the legendary salmon river, the Spey, is for many the home of the definitive Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky. Hugely complex, rich with layers of flavour and a whiff of smoke in the finish, Cragganmore craves the company of sweet, rich foods such as lobster, suckling pig or a combined dish of prunes and bacon. Alternatively, glazed chicken on a zesty salad brings out Cragganmore’s floral nose, honey notes and the hint of sweet woodsmoke.
