Craigellachie
Founded in 1891 by Alexander Edward and "Restless" Peter Mackie, the Speyside distillery Craigellachie's characteristic pagoda roofs were designed by the legendary architect Charles Doig. According to whisky writer Jim Murray, it outshines some of the region's most famous malts.
Craigellachie stands for a creamy, oily, lightly sulphury Speyside style with a long, smoky finish – the result of deliberately minimal copper contact in its worm tub condensers. From the Craigellachie 13 Year Old to the more mature 23 Year Old, you will find the right bottle for every occasion in our selection.
Content: 0.7 Liter (€67.13 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
CODE: BLACK25
Content: 0.7 Liter (€150.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
CODE: BLACK25
Content: 0.7 Liter (€314.27 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€74.27 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
CODE: BLACK25
Content: 0.7 Liter (€281.41 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€135.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€95.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€108.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€128.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€135.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€149.99 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€362.84 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€297.13 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€188.56 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€301.41 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Content: 0.7 Liter (€275.70 / 1 Liter)
Available, delivery time: 3-6 business business days
Why does Craigellachie taste so distinctively sulphury?
Craigellachie distils at around 30 ppm sulphur; its traditional worm tub condensers limit copper contact and preserve much of that sulphur content in the spirit. Over many years of cask maturation, this sulphur note develops into a distinctively "meaty" character – a deliberate stylistic choice that clearly sets Craigellachie apart from most other, softer Speyside malts.
Who founded Craigellachie – and who owns the distillery today?
The Craigellachie-Glenlivet Distillery Company built the distillery in 1891, with Alexander Edward and Sir Peter Mackie, known for Lagavulin and the creation of the White Horse blend, as its main shareholders. Production began in 1898. In 1916, Mackie & Company (White Horse) took over the distillery, and in 1927 the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) bought White Horse Distillers. In 1998, United Distillers & Vintners (UDV) sold Craigellachie, together with Aberfeldy, Royal Brackla, Aultmore, and John Dewar & Sons, to Bacardi – the owner to this day. It was only in 2014 that a core range of 13, 17, and 23 year olds gave the distillery a broader palette of official bottlings for the first time; before that, most of its output went into the Dewar's blends.
Overview of the most popular bottlings
1. Craigellachie 13 Year Old
The entry point into the distillery's characterful house style.
Taste: Creamy and oily with smoky, sulphury depth.
Serving suggestion: For anyone seeking an atypical, bold Speyside malt.
2. Craigellachie 17 Year Old
The more mature variant, with greater depth.
Taste: Malty sweetness meets a wonderfully smoky finish.
Serving suggestion: According to Jim Murray, one of Speyside's great underrated malts.
Facts and figures
Address: Craigellachie, Banffshire. Capacity: around 4 million litres a year, two wash stills and two spirit stills (28,185 l each). Water source: Blue Hill Springs.