For me, this 11 Year Old Craigellachie represents both happiness and heartache.
Craigellachie Distillery has held a place in my heart since my early years working on Copper Dog. A single sip of this waxy, textural yet somehow fruity whisky transports me back to happy summers in Speyside, often passing by the vast open windows of the stillhouse, home to the large stills and worm tub condenser that hold the secrets to this distinctive spirit character.
Finished for ten months in one of our Hungarian Tokaji casks, this whisky was the obvious sample to bring with me as I joined the Tartan Army to watch Scotland's decisive match against Hungary in the 2024 UEFA European Championship. Naturally, I was hoping the beautiful harmony between the candy notes of the Hungarian wine and the waxy character of the Craigellachie spirit would turn out to be the taste of victory.
Alas, it ended up as a much more savoury memory - helping to drown our sorrows as the Hungarians dashed Scottish hopes of progressing to the next round. At least the whisky meant I could enjoy one sweet finish.
Story
Finn Thomson is a Scotch whisky independent bottler that is 300 years in the making. Since James Thomsons illicit potstill in the 1700s, the Thomson family has pursued a different element of whisky through the ages – distilling, blending, trading, selling – helping to shape the very story of Scotch itself.
With three centuries of family whisky history and personal tutelage from some of the most respected names in the Scottish whisky industry, Finn may stand on the shoulders of giants. But the weight of decision rests on his own.
Finn is responsible for calling the moment when a whisky’s flavours are at their finest; quirks and eccentricities at their most beguiling. Whether it’s a decades-old cask from the family collection or an entirely new creation, this is art as much as science. Wood, water and weather have had their say. The only guides that count now are taste, scent and intuition.