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TRI CARRAGH CRAIGELLACHIE 11 YEAR OLD, 1ST FILL PALO CORTADO BARRIQUE
Outturn 298 bottles
298 bottles were produced. 286 are gone. The Whiskey Lab is importing the last 12 bottles in existence.
This Craigellachie was distilled in May 2012 and matured in a 1st fill sherry barrique before being reracked in March 2022 into a Palo Cortado sherry cask. Bottled at cask strength, 52.9%, with natural colour and no chill filtration. Tri Carragh called it "a surprising showstopper" and they were not exaggerating.
This release earned recognition as one of Tri Carragh's most acclaimed bottlings. And the Palo Cortado cask that made it did not stop working. After the Craigellachie was emptied, that same cask was refilled with an Inchmurrin spirit and selected by The Whiskey Lab's first Scotland tour group as a TWL exclusive. Two bottles. One cask. Two completely different stories.
One cask, two bottles
The Palo Cortado barrique that finished this Craigellachie is the same cask that now holds TWL's exclusive Tri Carragh Inchmurrin 8 Year Old. The Craigellachie was the 1st fill. The Inchmurrin is the 2nd fill. If you own both, you are tasting the same wood's influence on two entirely different spirits from two different regions. That is a comparison that exists nowhere else.
Distillery profile, Craigellachie
- Built in 1890 in Speyside, designed by the legendary distillery architect Charles Doig with the express intention of producing a lighter, fruitier character than the older distilleries.
- One of the earliest descriptions of Craigellachie mentions pineapple as a desirable aroma, a tropical note that persists in the distillery's character to this day.
- Known for a robust, slightly sulphurous, meaty new make that transforms dramatically with maturation, gaining sweetness and fruit complexity that belies its raw spirit.
- Historically the core malt in White Horse blends. Now owned by Bacardi through John Dewar & Sons. Official single malt bottlings remain limited, making independent releases highly sought after.
Cask profile, 1st Fill Palo Cortado
Palo Cortado is the rarest classification of sherry. It begins aging biologically under flor like a fino, but then the flor dies unexpectedly and it shifts to oxidative aging like an oloroso. The result is a wine that combines the delicacy of amontillado with the richness of oloroso in a way that cannot be deliberately produced. It happens or it does not.
As a 1st fill, this cask delivered its full character to the Craigellachie: dry citrus, savoury nuttiness, and a tannic grip that structured the spirit without sweetening it. The interplay between Craigellachie's tropical fruitiness and the Palo Cortado's dry complexity is what made this bottle a standout.
This cask went on to finish TWL's exclusive Inchmurrin, proving its quality twice over.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Tri Carragh |
| Whisky style | Single malt Scotch whisky |
| Region | Speyside |
| Distillery | Craigellachie |
| Age | 11 years |
| ABV | 52.9% |
| Volume | 700 ml |
| Maturation cask | 1st Fill Sherry Barrique |
| Finish cask | Palo Cortado Sherry (reracked March 2022) |
| Distillation date | May 7, 2012 |
| Outturn | 298 bottles (12 remaining) |
| Cask strength | Yes |
| Non-chill filtered | Yes |
| Natural colour | Yes |
| Palo Cortado cask also used for | TWL Exclusive Inchmurrin 8yr (2nd fill) |
