Cragganmore 27 Years (Darkness!)

Another dram that attracted my attention in the recent Darkness bottlings is this Cragganmore 27 Years, because it is finished in a bespoke 50-litre Fino cask. A great wine but sometimes difficult to pair with whisky.

Cragganmore 27 yo (49,1%, Darkness! 2017, Fino cask #157, 100 btl., 50 cl)

Nose: indeed traces of Fino, with walnut (cake), chalk and traces of fresh bread crusts. But also an underlying sweetness, vanilla, sweet apples and orange honey. Grassy notes. Perhaps a little tobacco. There’s something about this that reminds me of Bunnahabhain.

Mouth: fairly dry, with earthy notes, Seville oranges and a little mint. Hints of cough syrup. A damp mustiness (warehouse). Waxy, leathery notes. Pepper and clove. A winey, tannic side too.

Finish: medium long, still very dry, with herbs, mineral notes with a punchy grassy / bitter edge.

An excellent nose. On the palate there are some sharp angles, but that’s also the case in a proper Fino sherry. In any case a whisky that has Fino written all over, and that makes it interesting. Only from Master of Malt.

Score: 88/100