Single Malt Pedro Ximenez Hogshead 'Full Cask' 133
⏳ Drinking Window
As a distilled spirit, this single malt is fully matured at the time of bottling and does not develop further in the glass. It is ready to enjoy immediately and will remain stable for decades if stored upright and away from direct sunlight.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Blue cheese, dark chocolate truffles, sticky toffee pudding
✨ Technical Specifications
Craigellachie, often regarded as the defiant 'bad boy of Speyside,' is celebrated for its stubborn adherence to traditional production methods, most notably its continued use of copper worm tubs. This old-school condensing method imparts a heavy, sulfurous, and muscular character to the spirit. When this robust, oil-rich distillate is matured in a Pedro Xim nez (PX) sherry hogshead, a fascinating alchemy occurs. The intense, syrupy sweetness of the PX cask—filled with notes of dark raisins, figs, and molasses—wraps around Craigellachie's savory, slightly smoky, and industrial-edged core. The 'Full Cask' series highlights the dramatic, full-term interplay between this heavy Speyside spirit and the decadent influence of Andalusian sherry wood, resulting in a dram of immense complexity, chewiness, and warming spice.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1891 by whisky pioneers Peter Mackie and Alexander Edward, Craigellachie Distillery commands a prominent position on a rocky outcrop overlooking the confluence of the Rivers Spey and Fiddich. Designed by renowned Victorian architect Charles Doig, the distillery purposely eschews contemporary distillation trends, championing an archaic, full-bodied spirit style. Drawing soft processing water from the nearby Blue Hill, the distillery employs oil-fired maltings, traditional wooden washbacks, and distinctive exterior copper worm tub condensers. By restricting copper-to-vapor contact during condensation, Craigellachie captures robust, heavy, and sulphurous aromatic compounds that evolve into a uniquely muscular single malt marked by savoury, meaty notes accented by luscious tropical pineapple. Under parent owner Bacardi (John Dewar & Sons) and multi-award-winning Malt Master Stephanie Macleod, the distillery balances its legacy role in premium blends with benchmark age-stated single malts—notably its core 13-Year-Old, 17-Year-Old, and rare vintage cask bottlings—all presented non-chill-filtered at natural strength.