Whisky Review: Hepburn’s Choice Craigellachie 8 Years Old 2008

• Category: Speyside single malt scotch whisky
• Origin: Craigellachie Distillery
• Bottling: Langside; Hepburn’s Choice
• ABV: 46%
• Cost: £41.39

What they say

8 year old Craigellachie single malt finished in a wine cask and bottled by Langside for the Hepburn’s Choice range. This was distilled in 2008 and bottled 8 years later in 2016 with an outturn of 293 bottles produced.

Official tasting notes:

• Nose: Apricot, cashews, oat and dried red berries.
• Palate: Chocolate and red apples, with developing notes of red grapes and jammy blackcurrant.
• Finish: Touches of meaty malt and cranberry.

What I say

Another 20cl bottle from the Hepburn’s choice range, this time an 8 year old Craigellachie finished in a wine (?) cask, providing an inexpensive taste of this usually slightly sulphuric Speyside distillery.

My tasting notes:

• Appearance: Pale gold (4/20) large oily tears leave thick legs
• Nose: Light caramel or runny honey sweetness, citric lemon, biscuity barley, sulphur, matches, mixed unsalted nuts
• Taste: Vanilla, light caramel, citric and sweet lemon juice, sulphur, fireworks, struck matches, hints of red fruits, cranberry?
• Finish: Medium length, bitter oak wood and lemon, hints of sulphur linger

Overall

Another sulphur dominant Craigellachie but not unpleasant, a distinct lack of other flavours/aromas to the same intensity had me questioning if this was a red or white wine cask finish as nothing dominated.

Score 75/100

Hepburn’s Choice Craigellachie 8 Years Old 2008 (opens Master of Malt)

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