Cragganmore was rebuilt in 1902 and sold two decades later in 1923
to the Glenlivet Distillery Co. Ltd. - in turn owned in equal parts by
two entities; the Ballindalloch Estate and White Horse Distillers Ltd.
Gordon Smith remained manager for thirty years until the sale in 1923.

The Cragganmore distillery was built in 1869-1870 by one John Smith
(what's in a name) who had previously been involved with Glenfarclas,
Macallan and Glenlivet. That wasn't his only claim to fame; John was
the youngest son of George Smith, founder of the Glenlivet distillery.
John Smith's trustees continued the operation between 1886 & 1893,
after which John's son Gordon took over as manager of the distillery.

Cragganmore is Gaelic for 'great rock'. The distillery is located in Ballindalloch, close to where the rivers Spey, Avon and Livet meet. John Smith ordered the construction of a railroad track to the Ballindalloch railway station when he built the distillery. Just a few years later Cragganmore became the first distillery in Scotland to transport their whisky efficiently by railway.

Interestingly enough, Cragganmore still uses 'worm tubs'.
Most distilleries have now turned to other cooling solutions but
five out of the six distilleries in Diageo's 'classic malts' range still
use worm tubs for cooling purposes: Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie,
Glenkinchie, Oban and Talisker. The only exception within the
'Classic Malts' range of six can be found on Islay; it's Lagavulin.

Here's a selection of the bottles of Gragganmore I've tried so far;

Cragganmore 12yo (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2003, L15T00687045)
Nose: Smooth and a bit spicy. Then it grows maltier. Spices & organics grow stronger. 
Faintly fruity and flowery. Malty. Very light liquorice? A little bit of everything, really.
Taste: Weak, watery start. Dry and pretty flat. Fairly bitter. Oy, that's too bad...
Score: 78 points - better than average, but not quite as good as two earlier batches I tried.

Cragganmore 1988/2002 Distillers Edition (40%, OB, CggD-6553) has been finished in a 'special' cask, just like the other expressions in UDV's 'Double Matured' range. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Nose: Sherried and very fruity. Apples? Ginger? Strawberries? Much heavier than the 12yo.
A faint hint of peat after five minutes? Beer-like prickle in the back. Good balance.
Taste: Watery and woody. Fruitier towards the centre. Astringent, oaky finish.
Score: 80 points - double maturation has infused the Cragganmore with some extra weight & wisdom.

Cragganmore 12yo 1990/2002 (46%, MMcD, MM 1416, Bourbon).
Nose: Grassy and flowery - like a mountain meadow in Spring. Spicy prickle. Hint of honey?
It starts off smooth and friendly but becomes grainier and oilier. The bourbon takes centre stage.
Taste: Rough start. Flat centre. Hot, woody finish. Beer? Hint of eucalyptus? Too dry, too bad.
Score: 74 points - the nose is very pleasant but the palate drags it down below 'average'.

Cragganmore 13yo 1989/2002 (46%, Signatory Unchillfiltered, Oak Cask #962, 375 Bottles)
Nose: Surprisingly light and flowery, before becoming creamier and fruitier. Smoke?
Is that citrus? Stale beer? Farmy notes. It completely falls apart after two minutes.
It makes a quiet comeback after a few more minutes. Spices and organics. Sorrel?
Given time it grows ever more complex. This malt needs some time to reveal itself.
Taste: Bittersweet start, growing smoother and fruitier towards the centre. Malty.
Not terribly complex, but endearing enough to make up for the weak moment in the nose.
Score: 82 points - the nose has some weak moments, but the palate keeps it in the 80's.
I have to admit I'd prefer this over the 12yo OB - it just has much more body at 46%.

Cragganmore-Glenlivet 14yo 1989/2003 (46%, Cadenhead's, Sherry)
Nose:  Smooth. Honey. Heather? Fairly subtle sherry influence. Cookies? Toffee?
Not very expressive at first, but it definitely opens up with time. Faint organics
Taste: Watery, fragmented start. Slightly sweet. Hot and a little soapy. Burning.
Score: 81 points - my initial score of 78 points for the first dram was too conservative. On closer inspection this one showed plenty of redeeming qualities, especially after time. Maybe it's a tad too subtle for me, but if you give it time there's lots of fun to be had. With a matching palate it might even have scored in the upper 80's.

Cragganmore 1976/1993 (53.8%, G&M, Casks 3588-3591)
Nose: Spicy and flowery with a light touch on honey - or maybe nectar? Mighty complex.
Opens up nicely with time. Toffee. Sherry and organics. Peppers? Spicy black Chinese beans.
Taste: Toffee sweetness. Big burn, but drinkable at cask strength. Pleasant mouth feel.
Strong bittersweet centre. Responds well to water, becoming sweeter and smoother.
Score: 85 points - leaning towards 86. This is the best Cragganmore I've ever had.

Cragganmore 1973 (40%, G&M Connoisseurs Choice, Bottled +/- 1990) was an oldie.
Nose: Fruits on the top of the nose, with an undercurrent with more organics. Tea.
Sweet and creamy elements, but there's a distracting perfumy off-note as well.
That's not all - the perfumy element seems to grow stronger over time.
There's a lot going on beneath the surface, but the perfume overpowers all.
Taste: Ooooh! Perfumy start, quickly settling down into a fruitier centre.
Once I get such a heavy punch of perfume on the palate I'm out for the count.
Score: 74 points - the nose has many appealing elements, but the perfume drags it down.
 
 
 

The White Horse shares were transferred to DCL in 1927 and all remaining shares were
eventually aquired by DCL by 1968. This last change in ownership took place not long after
the number of stills was extended from two to four. Cragganmore was eventually 'inherited'
by Diageo when United Distillers (UD) and International Distillers and Vintners (IDV) merged.

In 1967 the number of stills at Cragganmore doubled from two to four.
Both wash stills are 'lantern' models while the spirit stills are the 'boiling ball' type. Both spirit stills have flat (T-shaped) tops instead of the usual 'swan necks'. This unique shape supposedly increases the 'reflux' of condensed spirits inside the stills; part op the vapour trickles down again to be re-distilled. This, in turn, produces a smoother spirit.

Cragganmore uses lightly smoked malt. Just like most other distilleries Cragganmore doesn't have its own maltings anymore; their malt is obtained from one of Diageo's central maltings. A lauter mash tun was installed in 1997. The copper top and wood along the sides are purely 'cosmetic'; the business end is made of stainless steel. All six washbacks are made from European larch.

Trivia about Cragganmore: The spirit at Cragganmore is filled into bourbon casks which are stored in the
three on-site warehouses. Bottling is done in Leven, Fife three kilometres due east of Glenrothes. And I'm
afraid that's all the trivia I have to offer at the moment. See the new Malt Madness site for updates...