Hi Jim! Happy New Year!! I hope it’s spectacular for you and your family in every way!! You know I hadn’t had Craigellachie 17 until the recent holidays when I saw it locally and I picked a couple of bottles up. It is pricey and I worried about whether it’s too pricey versus the fabulous and better priced Craigellachie 13. For me it’s a beautiful deeply complex beast and I found myself enjoying it so much after about a half dozen 30 or 60 ml drams - wee drams!! lol!! The complexity is what pulled my husband in and I got just as pulled in to thinking that we are glad we grabbed 2 bottles on sale because even a $20 saving in Canada is appreciated. Alcohol here is outrageously expensive with taxes added on and a special alcohol tax. The deep red fruits, creamy, salty flavours are delicious and I don’t like sweet whiskies. I don’t find it too sweet. These days my palette is particularly pleased with hugely complex scotch and for me at least this hits the spot. I love the peppery chocolate. I keep thinking I taste brine which I love. But it’s usually $200 🇨🇦 dollars and that’s not cheap. There’s quite a range of delicious scotch in that price range. I think the 17 is worth the added cost and I get more than I do in the 13 although it’s fabulous too. I routinely drop $$170 plus tax on my fave Lag 16 so I decided this is worth it esp with the finish! Awesome review Jim! I always enjoy them. I am an Islay lover but this Speyside is a huge treat too!! This is a scotch we will drink slowly and it’s not one I’d grab a lot because the price is high. I’d likely just grab the 13! But this is a fun ride exploring this expression!! Cheers!
As usual Absolutely spot on review ..Jim ! It’s good But it ain’t that good for that much money GOOD CALL Buy the Clynleish 14 Solid stuff not that far off for a fraction of the cost Top channel 👍🥃
Thank you for your honest opinion. You’ve made up my mind to buy the Deanston 18 instead. Not sure if that one is better or not. Im looking for a great under 100 pound/ over 15 yr old bourbon matured bottle. Do you have any other suggestions other than the Deanston?
I'd be looking to the independent bottlers. Over 15 is gonna be realatively pricey but...you may get something from the likes of Signatory or Little Brown Dog etc.
@@WhiskeyNovice well at the moment Deanston 18 I can get for @ 100 pounds with shipping included. But it’s a rare one to find at that price. I think the Ledaig 18 is also in that realm.
I was laughing when you explained how this was on you list but the price kept you from trying it. It was a perfect description of what has been going through my mind on this one. The 13 is $64 here and the 17 is $219 at the local retail shop! That is crazy. But, the 13 is a must have and the 17 good, just not that good. Great review, Jim. Enjoy Scotland in spite of the leg.
Cheers Bud. Wow, that is a massive price difference. That's shocking, and definately not justified in my opinion. Stick with the 13 for sure. Thanks my friend.
Oh my, I paid 67€ (US$79 / £57) for that bottle. $219 is just an impertinence, Bud. Don´t support the "price strategy" of that shop or they will never give up increasing prices.
@@macallanfinerare2552 believe me, I DO NOT support the retailers who do this kind of pricing, Doc. In fact, I buy most of my whisky online because in my part of the USA there are no retailers that are competitive for anything beyond the highest volume bottles.
Totally agree with you on the price Jim, the 13 is good value. Clynelish 14, usually for under £45, is a tremendous whisky and my favourite 14 year old by far. The Aultmore 12 is another great Speyside for a fair price. Have a good trip Jim, great review as always!
Absolutely love the 13. I lol'd when you said that this whisky is 'filthy'! I went 'Ooh, matron!' channeling my best Kenneth Williams. :). Hope you're having a blast in Scotland, Jimbo. :)
😄😄😄 yeah the mrs always raises an eyebrow at me when I talk about whiskies being dirty. Having a ball mate thank you. Spending a bloody fortune but sure...that was always gonna happen 😉😄
I wish you could try the 23! It's from another planet compared to both the 13 and 17. Unfortunately, same can be said when it comes to its price. However, i would almost be ready to say it's worth it. It's a true gem. I was very disappointed with my first bottle of Clynelish 14, i didn't understand why everyone was raving about it, i didn't get the supposed waxy texture, and then i read Serge Valentin's review and i figured it all out, recent batches are quite poor and disappointing
Cheers Teddy. Yeah, slim chance of me trying that 23 at almost £400 a bottle. But...never say never 😁 I've only ever had modern bottlings of the Clynelish 14, so don't have others to compare it with but...I do still like it and definately get the waxiness that most mention.
Thanks for this review Jim. I have noticed the 17yr and 23yr versions really jump up from the 13yr in price. Nice to get your views on this one as I doubt it would be something I pull the trigger on, if I were to find it in the wild... Will be thinking of your Scotland trip and looking forward to hearing of your exploits when you return my friend!
Thanks Jim for another great review. I have a 16 yr Craigellachie from SMWS that I have struggled with at times but haven't given up on. This distillery hasn't been much on my radar but I am sure I will get to it soon as I do love a "dirty" dram. Cheers friend.
Cheers Bill. That dirt does bring a nice variety I think. Would be nice to see some more producers go back to worm tub condensing. But then...that might not work with their spirit either I suppose.
Not had it, but when you upped my liking of 'a damn, good dirty whisky' to 'filthy' I was intrigued. Perhaps one to watch out for on a bargain. That Clynelish 14 is great and is often found on a bargain too. Cheers mate.
Enjoyed this one but it is a bit pricey. Only had a 2oz sample of the 23 but for me the 13, 17, 23 are all there own thing with some similarities. Independent bottles are available for me from time to time so have been going for those but glad I did get one of these 17's. Hope the vacation is going well and looking forward to hearing about what you found with the distillerys opening back up. Cheers Jim
I’ve only had the craigellachie 17 once in a blind tasting with other 15-18 yo whiskies, and it didn’t leave an overwhelming impression but that was probably down to the other drams that evening. Thankfully ‘someone’ was kind enough to send me a sample, and as I quite like the 13 yo, I’m looking forward to giving this one another go. Your notes really seem promising and over time I ‘ve come to learn our palates and preferences are fairly similar, so i’ve got pretty high hopes for this. Love me some ‘dirty’ drams. Cheers Jim
Absolutely love filthy whisky with grip. This is a tough price, but sounded so good my friend. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one. Maybe one day. For now, I love the 13 and it is affordable, even over here! Cheers!
Thanks to Arne Tiger for chosing this one. And thanks Jim for this interesting an enjoyable whisky. I tasted it in comparison with the 13yo that I have in my cabinet. Miraculously that has the exact same bottle number.... or maybe that's not so miraculous, rather interesting and suspicious. The dram itself: a complex still easy sipper it is. On the other hand: so is the 13yo and I agree that the 17yo is not that much better as you should expect based on the price difference. Slàinte mhath
Thank you Frank. As always, I can trust in you to back me up 😄😄 Obviously, I do jest there because we have different(ish) tastes but, I do genuinely believe that...the more we taste...the easier, and truer the decision is, among those who actually take time to care about whisky. When it's right...ot's right. And you know that better than me. Slàinte (as always) my friend.
Love the 13 and currently can get the 17 for £64 so am debating pulling the trigger while I stretch out my sample. It may be me still recovering but do you find it overall softer and more subdued from the older ageing?
Oh yes mate. The 17 is very much more subdued than the 13 imo. To be totally honest buddy...for £64...there are better whiskies out there. I've had much worse than Craigellachie 17 but...I've also had much better in that price bracket. Cheers Jeff.
Next time I'm up in Belfast I'm calling in to the Friend at Hand and hopefully Jim can give me a few minutes of his time to explain what he means when he describes a whiskey as filthy/dirty 👍🥃
Hi Jim...interesting...Some say batches from after 2017 are quite different from the early say 2014 (launch date) to 2017 batches and are not excited by them... But while I haven't tried any after 2017, the only one i had (& a sample too) is from 2017 & clearer than yours color wise, that is for sure. I liked it a lot, without being able to say though it was a masterpiece. The 21 yo CS for Craigellachie Hotel I tried in Aberfeldy's bar is one though...but not cheap (you can see my notes & a picture about it on my website on my 2018 Journey to Scotland report/tape "Editorial 30" on the search bar for a quicker access). I'm listening to you & wondering about your advise (the 13 yo) as I have an indie 14 yo cask strength that isn't super exciting, but it is a single cask. Anyway Cheers & hopefully we'll see "Dealer's Choice" part 2 some day...
Cheers Greg. I recommended the 13 because it's fairly easy to get hold of and, unlike the 17, is actually worth its price in my opinion. This 17 is still a good whisky. Just too pricey I think. Thanks my friend.
A valid point Gav. It's fair to say that most single malt Scotches in their high teens tend to be around the £80 - £110 mark. Reason I made a bit of a point of it in this review is...I just don't think the 4 years age difference over the 13 improve or change this whisky enough to validate it being twice the price. Just an opinion obviously. Cheers.
