Craigellachie 11yo
Single Malts of Scotland 2011 | 53.5% ABV
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Worth getting stubborn about it
Two wrongs make a right
Be abjectly stubborn. Also, be someone who exploits child labour. Not exactly the traits your mother would have wanted to instil. Let me explain.
I have mentioned the whisky desert that is North Carolina. It is, as I have said previously, an ABC state. The Alcohol Beverage Control systems in North Carolina prevent any meaningful selection of single malts.
As I have come to know folk here in the Tarheel State, I began to openly vent to a few colleagues and friends about this onerous ABC system. While most friends and colleagues wonder why I am vexed, one colleague provided a brief glimmer of hope. He assured me that it isn’t as bad as it might at first appear.
“Oh, it’s bad,” I replied. “How is this not bad?”
He calmly told me that all I needed to do was to go to my local ABC store and chat with the manager. The manager should be able to source some single malts that I would want – they just don’t carry them in the stores.
This lightened my day. It didn’t make sense. But then again, the control systems concept, as a whole, doesn’t make sense to me. So, last week, I went into my local ABC store. The single shelf of “Scotch Whiskey” (yes, that’s how it’s labelled) had its usual, core range offerings of Ardbeg, Johnnie Walker, Macallan, Glenfiddich, and a sprinkling of Port Charlotte 10, Laphroaig 10, and Oban 14. I then turned and found the manager of the store.
I told him that I was looking for single malts. He proudly told me that his regional manager was also keen on single malts, and pointed out the sad shelf of limited core ranges. I paused a second or two as I first thought he was joking, but it was clear he was not. I managed to not laugh out loud, and kindly explained to him that I was a bit of a geek about Scottish single malts, and was looking to find some different offerings. He looked at me quizzically. “Different offerings?” he said with a bit of incredulity. “Yes, different offerings.” I continued by saying that I was looking for labels such as Bunnahabhain, Ben Nevis, Benromach, Ardnamurchan, and Craigellachie.
I think he thought I was speaking in Swahili. And, just as I initially thought his earlier comment was a joke, he probably now thought I was the one who was joking. After he realised that I was serious, the manager suggested I go to the North Carolina Alcohol Beverage Control Commission’s website and find their .pdf of “special order items”.
This was something new and I was, initially, genuinely excited at the prospect. I thanked the manager, and took a step toward the door. I stopped, however, and turned back to ask one more question. Assuming I found some bottles of interest, I asked what the process was to obtain said bottles.
He replied – without a hint of understanding how deflating it was to hear – that I could make a request of him (the manager), and he would send a formal request to the ABC’s central offices in Raleigh (our state capital) for the requested bottle. My bottle, he said - assuming it was available - would be delivered to the ABC store for pick-up in three to six months.
Wha…?
I stammered a bit. “So, if I make my request today, it might – might – come by Christmas?” The manager nodded his head and asked if I had any other questions.
Nope. I left the store and realised it was time to take matters into my own hands. First, I needed to be abjectly stubborn.
Years ago, I was taught that if you have a task to do or goal to reach, and you hit a wall, that obstacle must not stop you. Instead, you must find a way around it, over it, under it, or through it. So, time to find a way around this ABC regulatory prison.
Second, exploit child labour. Mrs. Shaw and I have brought four children into this world. One of them, Connell, lives across the river near Washington, DC., but in Virginia – another ABC state – yet he can easily access the DC market.
And so, word went out to Connell that Mrs. Shaw and I needed him to source some whisky. Connell, who just graduated from college and was now busy with work, was initially hesitant. That hesitancy was met impatiently by me channelling more than a little guilt along the lines of who paid his rent or who paid for his college tuition.
I then reminded him that he works remotely. As such, he can get me my list of bottles over the weekend, I would reimburse, and then he could work from our home in North Carolina. I then sealed the deal with a promise to make him some from-scratch mushroom barley soup. Maybe some more guilt was labelled liberally over this chat, but ultimately, I convinced him to make a run to a DC brick and mortar store to which I had previously done some reconnaissance. He made the trip. He bought the bottles on my list before making the six hour drive down to our house.
Stubbornness + exploiting child labour = a bit of whisky reprieve. You’ll no doubt have guessed that one of those bottles is this Single Malts of Scotland Craigellachie.
Review
Craigellachie 11yo, Single Malts of Scotland, distilled April 2011, bottled September 2022, 657 bottles, 53.5% ABV
USD$75 paid (£58)
Score: 7/10
Very Good Indeed.
TL;DR
Worth getting stubborn about it
Nose
Apple danish. Fig Newtons. Vanilla custard. Allspice and cloves. Nougat and stewed plums and apricots.
Palate
The initial tastes start with sticky toffee pudding. Dates and raisins. Green apple skins. Vanilla ice cream. Mid-palate, some stewed fruits come forward with a slight white pepper tingle. At the end, it is Boston Creme filling combined with that slightly ebbing peppery note that turns into a fairly long finish. The spicy notes stop ebbing and instead linger beautifully. They are complimented by a lovely sweet almost latte hint. That not-intrusive-just-right spicy tinge lingers and is beautiful.
With a bit of water, the peppery and spicy notes recede, and the stewed fruits, sticky toffee pudding, and Boston Creme come forward wonderfully. For me and my experience, oftentimes water either makes a dram sink or it absolutely heightens what is in the glass. Here, either with or without water, this is wonderful. If you like a bit of spicy tinge, take it without water. If no spicy tinge is desired, then add some water.
Regardless, the Craigellachie character is here with its robust and full-bodied arrival. This doesn’t coat your teeth as some other Craigeallchies I have had, but it does have good body and it adds wonderfully to the flavours.
The Dregs
This is my first Single Malts of Scotland bottling, and it didn’t disappoint. I had heard many enthusiasts – and read many reviews – praising SMOS bottles such as Earie’s SMOS 11 year old Orkney and his SMOS 11 year old Mannochmore. And so, when I saw this as a possible purchase, it was a no-brainer. The icing on the whisky cake is that Craigeallachie has always been a favourite whisky profile, so a SMOS bottling of Craigellachie should be a treat. And it is.
SMOS has done themselves proud in the manner by which they have handled this liquid. It truly is a memorable bottle, and one that I am glad I coerced, convinced my son to mule to me. Six hour drive? Yep, worth it.
I must say that I have reached a certain stage of my whisky journey. I have gone through the official bottlings and have dabbled a bit with independent bottlers. Now, when I look for bottles, to the extent I can here on these American shores, I start with independent bottlers.
The ability to find distilleries that I have come to know and love in as pure, unadulterated, and mostly undiluted as possible is a wonderful resource. Coming to know and love Craigellachie through its 13 year old, 17 year old, and bas armagnac official bottlings has been a rewarding taste voyage. Taking a page out of “This is Spinal Tap”, finding a well done independent bottling of Craigellachie at close to what comes out of the cask is akin to me pointing to this bottle and saying, “but this one goes to eleven.”
I can’t say that this was an inexpensive bottle, but for an eleven year old Craigellachie that has not been tinkered with in any material sort of way, presented at 53.5% ABV, in all honesty, the price doesn’t make me flinch. Dare I say, this is good value.
This SMOS is a step up and I am all the better for it, and spoiled by it.
And, I am also better for doing two wrongs to make a huge right.
Score: 7/10
Tried this? Share your thoughts in the comments below. OS
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