After a series of Inchmurrin single casks for different bottlers and shops, there’s now an official single cask Croftengea 2008 exclusive to The Whisky Exchange.
A heavily peated malt from Loch Lomond distillery, distilled using the same straight-neck pot stills as Inchmurrin, but peated to around 40 ppm.
Croftengea 9 yo 2008 (54,8%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 2018, refill hogshead #272, 289 btl.)
Nose: nicely elegant, there’s plenty of stewed fruits (apples, peaches, pears) and lemon frosted cake as well as ashy notes and mossy peat. Candied fruits and smoke, equally strong. Smoky hay. Hints of chocolate and liquorice.
Mouth: again very sweet and fruity, with a slightly tropical side to it. Mango, lemon sweets, hints of pink grapefruit. Then back to tar, dark chocolate, bonfire ashes and wet earth. Fading on mint and liquorice.
Finish: long, increasingly salt, with traces of lemons and chocolate.
Much better than I expected. Take the typical fruity notes (Inchmurrin style) and add generous earthy, tarry notes. Combines really well: an intense but elegant Island-style malt. Recommended. Around € 80 from The Whisky Exchange.
Score: 88/100