Cragganmore was built in 1869 by John Smith, a man who had previously managed Macallan, Glenlivet and Glenfarclas, and who chose his site at Ballindalloch for its proximity to the Strathspey railway. The distillery's flat-topped stills are among the most distinctive in Speyside and contribute to a new make spirit famously described by Charles MacLean as the most complex in the region.
This 20 year old appeared as part of Diageo's Special Releases, drawn from refill American oak hogsheads and bottled at 55.8% without chill filtration. It is one of several older Cragganmores released through that programme over the years, the distillery's age-stated bottlings being otherwise rare beyond the proprietary Distillers Edition and the 12.
The nose is classic old Cragganmore — meadow grass, beeswax, baked apple — with dried herbs and a curl of woodsmoke that speaks of the long maturation rather than peat. The palate is honeyed and layered: malt, orchard fruit, toasted nuts and a quiet white pepper running underneath. Water draws out more of the herbal side. The finish is long, dry and faintly smoky.
For drinkers who know Cragganmore only through the 12, this is a revelation of what the spirit becomes given time and refill wood that lets the distillery character lead. It is not loud, and at the price asked it is no everyday dram, but it is one of the more honest Special Releases for those who already love the house. Cragganmore's role within Diageo has long been as a key malt in the Old Parr blend, and bottlings under its own name remain comparatively scarce.
