I have some fond memories of Craigellachie. I slept there while touring the Speyside region, tasted my first Craigellachie dram there and I liked the new lineup released last year.

I got this sample of a young Craigellachie single cask from Wemyess and while I sat down and wrote my notes for it, I realized I have a couple more of indie Craigellachie reviews to publish and so, expect some heavy dose of indie Craigellachie reviews in the coming few weeks from this unheralded distillery.

Let’s start with the young Craigellachie that triggered this reaction, the Craigellachie 2002-2014 Dark Treacle Fondant from Wemyess Malts. Like most of their single casks releases, it’s NCF and without caramel, bottled at 46%.

Wemyss Craigellachie 2002-2014 Dark Treacle Fondant (46%, 804 bottles, £63.95/€65)

Nose: Big malt note and very spirity at first. After a minute or two in the glass it’s sweet dark golden syrup (Treacle name playing psychological havoc on me) and stewed fruits lurking underneath it all. Not bad at all but I did get annoyed from recurring sprity whiffs.

Palate: Dark sweet syrup, stewed fruits. Overall it’s not as sweet as it was felt on the nose, dark chocolate and espresso, oak bitterness.

Finish: Medium length with oak wood bitterness, coffee grounds and weak stewed fruits.

Thoughts: At first I was kinda disappointed, but the palate and finish did carry it to the end-line. If not for the fact that the nose lags behind, I’d say it’s a very good Craigellachie. Still, it’s a nice dram and if you aren’t bothered by young spirit notes, you’ll probably like it a lot.