Cragganmore 14 Year Old Official Millennium Bottling

A wonderful Cragganmore with sherry cask characteristics. Cragganmore CRAGGANMORE 14yo OB Special Edition Millennium Bottling 47.5% one of 4987 bottles The aroma is fruity and strong, with European oak sherry notes, wax, dried fruits like raisins, mixed berry jam, a subtle juice-like quality, good woodiness, a barley grain note emerging from the depth, rich and smooth mouthfeel that expands into a fruity, jammy sweetness with a light juiciness, concentrated flavor and a delicate savory bite. [Very Good] The Cragganmore 14 Year Old bottled by the official for Millennium, which would suggest distillation around 1986 when calculated in reverse. Although not explicitly stated, the nuances of European oak sherry casks are clearly present, with notes of berry jam and dried fruits creating a strong fruity aroma. There's also a juicy quality and balanced woodiness, with a barley grain note underlying the fruits. Upon tasting, the same excellent sherry character and fruity notes from the aroma are evident, with a concentrated flavor and a satisfying chewy texture. A complex and rich malt, the tasting experience was enjoyable. The sherry character is exceptionally well-integrated, suggesting a fair amount of cutting was likely used in the vatting. While 1980s sherries often had sulfurous qualities and weren't always considered high quality, this one is certainly worthy of being an official bottling - it's excellent. The smoothness from the first sip through to the finish was particularly impressive.