A Bit of History
Cragganmore was founded in 1869 by John Smith. He had worked at the nearby Glenfarclas and Macallan but saw an opportunity to start his own distillery. The location was chosen due to its proximity to the Strathspey railway line. This began operating in 1863 and ran through Speyside between Dufftown and Aviemore. It was commonly known as ‘The Whisky Line’.
His son George Smith took over upon his death in 1886. It later passed ownership to his son, Gordon Smith, in 1893. Gordon oversaw a major modernisation in the early 1900s, which was designed by renowned Victorian distillery architect Charles Doig. When Gordon Smith died in 1912, his widow Mary Jane Smith took over. However, the onset of World War I saw the distillery (alongside many others in Scotland) struggle and production ceased for a year in 1917.
Just five years after reopening, Cragganmore was sold to the newly formed Cragganmore-Glenlivet Distillery Co. This was co-owned by Mackie & Co. – the producers and owners of the blend White Horse – and Sir George Macpherson-Grant of the Ballindalloch Estate. This became part of the much larger Distillers Company Ltd. (DCL) in 1927.
The current owners are Diageo, who partly evolved from DCL via United Distillers (UD). UD were the first to introduce the Classic Malts concept in 1988 to show different regional styles. Cragganmore 12 Years Old was an original in the line-up and represented Speyside. It remains an ever present today.
Background
Cragganmore is best known for being home to one of the six Diageo Classic Malts, in which it represents Speyside. The other regional representatives are Dalwhinnie (Central Highlands), Glenkinchie (Lowlands), Lagavulin (Islay), Oban (West Highlands) and Talisker (Islands).
However, Cragganmore is also highly regarded amongst blenders. This is where much of the production is allocated. It features heavily in popular Scotch blended whiskies such as Johnnie Walker, Old Parr and White Horse. Outside of the Classic Malts 12 Years Old bottling, Cragganmore single malt releases are few and far between but worth searching out.
The Geeky Bit
Cragganmore takes its water for production from the Craggan Burn, which runs alongside the distillery. There is a seven-tonne copper-topped mash tun and this feeds six wooden washbacks, which are made from Oregon pine. Unusually, they run six short fermentations and six longer fermentations per week. They are 50 and 100 hours respectively. This produces a heavy malty wash and a light fruitier one. These are combined prior to distillation.
There are two pairs of stills. Both the wash and spirit stills have short necks with flat tops and steeply angled lyne arms. This creates further heaviness within the spirit. Each is attached to a worm tub condenser, a traditional piece of equipment that is now rarely seen in the Scotch industry. The distillery has an annual production capacity of 2.2 million litres. Cragganmore has three warehouses on site, plus a small visitor centre that opened in 2002.
One To Buy | Cragganmore Distillers Edition
This superb whisky sees Cragganmore’s spirit initially matured in classic ex-bourbon barrels. However, it then gets a finishing period in massive ex-Port pipes. Expect luxurious notes of toffee, biscuity malt and citrus peel married with milk chocolate, dried fruits and prunes. A pinch of warming wood spices and freshly baked gingerbread add delightful depth and complexity. An absolute cracker.
