Sometimes really good whisky slips through the meshes of the net. Bottles sometimes sell out quickly, or simply lose momentum because of simultaneous releases. One of them is this Cragganmore 1986 from the now completed Whisky Sponge series.
This underwent an intruiging maturation scheme. It started in a refill hogshead (for 30 years), then a first-fill Port barrique (5 years) and then back to a second-fill bourbon barrel. According to the Sponge, the profile should be more akin to that of a long maturation in refill sherrywood.
Cragganmore 37 yo 1986 (52,9%, Whisky Sponge 2024, hogshead + Port + refill barrel, 72 btl.)
Nose: it does smell old, with lots of polished oak tones, volatile hints of turpentine, aromatic spice and rancio notes. Mint leaves and subtle cigar boxes. Then herbal honeys, dried apricots, raisins, hints of almond cake and raspberry jam. Blackcurrants and Maraschino cherries. Highly aromatic.
Mouth: again very seductive, with lots of furniture polish, cedar and sandalwood, as well as mint and mentholy freshness. Then a slight winey (Port-like) note comes out, bringing more blackberry and red grape, along with a gamay note. Blood oranges (commonly called ‘wine oranges’ in Belgium). Also aniseed, liquorice and black peppercorns. It gets quite resinous, herbal and a bit tannic in the end, but the aromatic opulence is really impressive.
Finish: long, with more red fruits like sour cherries, plenty of herbal teas and lingering notes of menthol and resin.
The vinous Port is noticeable, but the other elements bring balance. The end result is quite unusual and slightly spindoctored, but it’s very interesting and totally unique. Very few bottles, yet it’s still available from Decadent Drinks or The Whisky Exchange.