Found across a picturesque bridge over the Spey River, and just a little east of Macallan and Aberlour, Craigellachie is one of the most interesting distilleries in Speyside. 

Designed by the legendary distillery architect, Charles Doig, featuring one of his iconic pagoda roofs. From the very beginning, the distillery produced a unique style of single malt, with early visitors reporting aromas of pineapple. Alfred Barnard, who toured most of Britain’s distilleries in the 1890s, records Craigellachie as having “a style seldom met.”

Much of this unique style is down to an odd piece of kit now somewhat rare in the whisky business: the worm tub condenser. These are small, water filled tanks featuring a coiled tube (or “worm”) which condenses the alcohol vapour into spirit very rapidly, adding character and texture to the final product.

This bottling is one of the finest examples of the distillery’s style, with intense tropical fruits and a unique, meaty texture on the palate. A terrific single malt whisky.