Craigellachie – 11 Year Old 1989 SMWS Single Cask 44.17 Sponge Puddings (70cl)

This is a single cask Craigellachie, 11 years old and distilled in 1989, bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society as cask 44.17 under the name Sponge Puddings. It is a Speyside single malt, one of 205 bottles, in a 70cl bottle. Craigellachie is seldom seen outside its core range apart from the Exceptional Casks, so an independent bottling is a different route in. Older distillation used more direct heat rather than steam, which gives a spirit profile quite unlike the modern one. The distillery is known for a sulphurous character from its worm tubs, alongside a tropical and floral fruitiness that comes from long fermentation.