Cragganmore 20 YO (Special Releases 2020)

Cragganmore 20 YO (Special Releases 2020), 55.8 %

Yet another bottling from Diageo’s Special Releases 2020. The Cragganmore 20 YO was distilled back in 1999, and has been matured in refill and new fresh-charred American oak hogsheads.

** Update ** Seems I was too quick, and did not do my research in this case when I called this the oldest official bottling of Cragganmore to date. The reason I wrote what I did was the following quote from Diageo: “A Cragganmore of this age has never been released from the distillery”. I now see that this was misleading, and they probably meant that no whisky of the exact age of 20 YO has been released by the distillery before.

The Cragganmore 20 YO (Special Releases 2020) will not be available in Norway this Friday, for unknown reasons. You can order it in the UK through, at around GBP 130.

Nose: Soft and delicate on approach. First off I get hints of dusty attics and camphor cough candy. With time also orchard fruits, cut grass and oaky spices.

Taste: Full-flavoured and big. White pepper, ginger, cut grass, and menthol. Vanilla and runny honey. Medium sweetness.

Finish: Long finish. quite spicy throughout - white pepper and chili. Rather oaky as well, but lively so - not astringent or tired oak. Hints of marmalade and spearmint chewing gum in the end.

Comment: A lot more character than the regular Cragganmore, and more spicy.

Score 88/100

Sláinte!
-Thomas