Yesterday the Craigellachie 13yo was reviewed on the blog (see here) and now it’s time to move on to the next expression in the series, the Craigellachie 17.

As the 17yo represent the mid level expression I guess Bacardi were trying to find the gold spot of age perfected taste and smell while keeping it priced reasonable and within purchase range for most of us whisky buyers.

By the way, did you notice that Bacardi went for unconventional age statements for this range? instead of the customary 12/15/18/21 we have 13/17/19/23. I wonder if it’s for the sake of being different or does Craigellachie spirit needs the extra time to iron out the wrinkles from the distillation process be good?

Craigellachie 17 (46%, €85 / £86)

Nose: A very fruity nose leaning to the exotic side with dried sweet Ananas & big jug of tropical juice, nuts, sweet candies. there’s that sulphury note (or maybe vinegar?) but much less than the 13yo but the fruitiness with sprinkled vanilla, some fuzziness makes it a rich and rounded nose.

Palate: Sweet fruits with some licorice, creamy and nutty, then sulphury & mild burning sensation.

Finish: Medium length with sweet tropical, hard candies which lingers for a while, smoldering feeling of gentle sulphur and a bit of oak.

Thoughts: This one is spot on. A lovely dram with lots of fruits and candies while retaining this distinct sulphury/sour flavor. It’s not strong like in the 13yo but enough to make it interesting and better. It’s priced on the high end for whiskies of this age range (and double the price of the 13yofor additional 4 years) but I think it does worth a buy, especially if you live in Europe and can get the euro price.

(Official sample provided by Bacardi)