Cragganmore Natural Cask Strength 2016 Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

About Cragganmore

Situated in the Speyside region of Scotland, the Cragganmore Distillery was founded by John Smith in 1870. Smith heralded from a dynastic whisky family — his family had previously been involved in the operation of the Macallan, Glenfarclas and Glenlivet distilleries, and he was related to George Smith, the founder of the Glenlivet Distillery. The name of the distillery (Cragganmore translates to “big rock”in ancient Galiec) is from derived the greenstone rocks sourced from a nearby hill that were used to build the distillery’s infrastructure and maturation warehouses. Upon Smith’s death in 1886, his son largely rebuilt the distillery and refurbished its equipment while preserving its traditional distillation techniques.

Today, the Cragganmore Distillery continues to honor the Smith legacy by crafting a unique single malt whisky made exclusively from lightly smoked barley. Once the barley arrives at the distillery, it is mashed in one of the distillery’s six stainless steel mashtuns before being fermented in washbacks made of European larch. While larch washbacks are more difficult and expensive to maintain as compared to steel washbacks, they absorb a portion of the heat generated during fermentation and thus, contribute to a more robust flavor profile.

Following fermentation, the whisky is distilled twice through Cragganmore’s copper-pot stills. The distillery’s unique, flat-topped spirit stills (most distilleries have swan-shaped stills) and traditional worm-tubs (most distilleries use cooling conden sers) contribute additional complexity and flavor to the whisky.