As with all Distillers Edition whiskies from the Classic Malts Selection, this should be more or less the standard Cragganmore 12yo, just double matured in wine casks. That would be Port pipes (Ruby Port) in this case.
A new Cragganmore Distillers Edition is available every year, we’re trying the 1998/2012 version.
Cragganmore Distillers Edition 1998 (40%, OB 2012, Port pipe finish)
Nose: medium fruity. Plenty of yellow apples and nice strawberries. Oranges and lots of bright honey. Also a sweet malty side. Hints of vanilla and marzipan. Quite bright.
Mouth: buttery and sweet, a bit too malty for my taste but Cragganmore is never extreme anyway. Tinned pears and peaches, some fruit candy as well. Develops some grassy notes and ginger after a while, and a fruit tea dryness.
Finish: medium long, on apricots and pepper.
There’s no obvious wine in this Cragganmore, which is a good thing. None of the rubbery notes that I read in reviews of older editions either. The Port added extra sweetness and candied notes, and quite nicely so. Around € 45.
Score: 83/100