Craigellachie 13 Armagnac vs Craigellachie 13 core range Both non chilled filtered Both natural color Armagnac sourced from Gascony region in France and bottled in 2022 46% abv Finished for one year in Armagnac / justwhisky
I still find plenty of dirtiness/complexity in the Armagnac finish I have. It's just hidden underneath the Armagnac dirtiness/spiciness/grapeiness. I tasted the Armagnac 13, Regular 13, and some Delord Napoleon Armagnac at the same time to see what I was getting from the cask finish. I started to get a lovely deep sour sulfur savory plasticene note on the Armagnac finish once my bottle opened up. I agree that it reduced the amounts of tropical fruits on the nose and finish and replaced it with soft spice. Overall, the regular 13 is a point better to me. I find the Armagnac finished variant to be more rustic. Definitely different beasts. Thanks for the content. Cheers!
Craigellachie 13 core offering has been a favorite of mine for a while. I just got 2 more bottles to savor overtime. It's an amazing value for a 13 year old bottle considering today's market conditions and prices for a bottle of whisky. Armagnac was a pass for me when I saw the price vs. what it may offer and you just gave a solid point of view on it John. Cheers!
We love the 13 for what it is, dirty and full bodied so I don't know why they'd want to make it rounder maybe to get more customers. I would love the see the 13 with a mezcal cask finish to add some smoke and meatiness, that could be fun. Cheers John!
Still enjoyable but different. For a small premium it was worth the experience. Great idea about Mezcal… I’m going to try that with a few drops to see the results effect. Cheers 🥃
Looking at the website the core 13 is finished in 1st fill Sherry and Ex-Bourbon. While the Armagnac is finished in Armagnac. That explains the much lighter color
I was on the fence about buying a bottle or just a sample for tasting, and this settles that I'm just gonna go for the sample. I love the 13, the ruggedness and dirty elements, and it is one of my favorites of all time. Thank you for the review!
Been darn curious as I love Craigellachie and Armagnac. But at $50 CAD on sale vs. $100CAD plus for the Armagnac I'll stick with the original 13 year. Great video John. Cheers 🥃
It’s enjoyable but not a must buy…IMO… $75 US is pushing it… but I don’t think it will be long before we see price increases in the core C13… which might make the special releases seems a comparable bargain?? So like many of us, you can live vicariously through RU-vid reviews. Cheers 🥃
I quite love the Craigellachie 13. I may never get around to getting the Armagnac finished one though. I have a budget and I can only spread it around so much. Sounds like a pleasure though.
I was surprised to see how much lighter the Armagnac finished is. First matured in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, then rested in Bas-Armagnac casks, for just over a year. I paid $5 more for it. I prefer the core range. The Armagnac improves after a few sips.
Agree…. Very enjoyable especially for not much more of a price. Don’t understand the lighter color either except like I mentioned… kind of a rinsing sanitizer effect? Cheers 🥃
Hey John I just picked up a 2022 batch of the 13 and it is much darker than previous batches I have bought, seems to have a lot more sherry influence. To me it is an outstanding batch it seems a lot better and taste older than the last one I had. Just wondering as a craigellachie fanboy if you had tried this batch and thought the same thing? Maybe keep an eye out for it if you haven’t.
