Cragganmore The Distillers Edition

Fruity and playful. With a beautiful spiciness. After some oxidation it transforms into a nutty experience with a lot of caramel and woody bitters. Rather light. Very drinkable. But a rather flat ending. The finish has potential, but it all fall flat quiet fast.

Fruity, light and quite easy drinkable - good influence from the port finish I assume

dark fruits, bit of leather, nuts, citrus, sweet spices, not very interesting but not bad either

A nice introduction either for whisky novices or as an entry point to a tasting, many lovely pleasant aromas, not too overpowering, easy to drink and fresh. It also goes very well with dark chocolate.

Taste comparison with Cragganmore Distillers Edition (1993/2006) https://www.whiskybase.com/whiskies/whisky/31216/cragganmore-1993 1. Which of the two whiskies did you like better? I liked my Thomas better than my Heinrich. 2. Why did you like whisky a) better than whisky b)? Nose Thomas's nose comes across as fuller and more aromatic overall than Heinrich's. With Thomas, I get vanilla, honey, and beeswax, along with apricot jam, strawberries, and raisins. With Heinrich, I get a nose that seems thinner and less multifaceted overall. Fresh wood, a slightly bitter spiciness, apricot kernels, grapefruit, and a touch of vanilla. Thomas's nose retains its initial intensity for a long period of time, while Heinrich's nose thins out rapidly. Thomas: 86/100 Heinrich: 83/100 The taste Thomas has a mild, vanilla, and spicy flavor on the tongue. Dry (aged) wood quickly develops, along with apricots, vanilla, and honey. Heinrich, on the other hand, is floral and fresh; it also has a rapidly emerging wood note, but one that is considerably fresher. Thomas adds a little more spice and dried orange peel, marzipan and tart walnuts; the vanilla and honey keep it company for a little while, but its presence on the tongue is not very long-lasting. After a while, Heinrich can still offer some caramel, vanilla, and honey, but overall he seems held back. Thomas: 83/100 Heinrich: 81/100 Departure Thomas, with a slightly less than medium-long finish, very mild, spicy, nutty, orange peel, honey; Heinrich departed more quickly, leaving only warmth and a little bit of caramel. Thomas: 82/100 Heinrich: 80/100 Conclusion and comparative assessment My Thomas seems fuller and more aromatic, yet at 40% ABV it's also a bit weak. My Heinrich has considerably less character, seems essentially generic, and is a whisky that won't leave a lasting impression. 3. Which of the two whiskies is the old bottling, and which is the new one? My Thomas is the old bottling, my Heinrich is the new bottling. (That was correct)

Honey on the nose, with amarena cherries sprinkled with speculoos, nuts and candied red fruits, blueberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, milk chocolate, pastry cream, blood orange, green apples, juicy pears and vanilla. On the palate, it is light but pleasant and soft, oily, fruit tart, plums, jam, cinnamon, then wood and spices, cloves, pepper. Quite long finish, correct for the alcohol content, figs, chocolate and bark, liquorice, herbaceous notes, honeysuckle, parsley. I liked the nose, the palate and finish are pleasant, but the low alcohol content is a bit annoying. A few more degrees would do it a lot of good. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2024/10/cragganmore-distillers-edition-2023.html