Crabbie Launch 22 Years Old Orkney Single Cask Expression with Palo Cortado Finish – Scotch Whisky News
Crabbie launch 22 Years Old Orkney Single Cask Expression with Palo Cortado finish
Historic Edinburgh whisky producers John Crabbie & Co have today (7th March) unveiled a new single cask bottling of 22 Years Old Orkney Single Malt Whisky, finished for extraordinary flavour in a rare Palo Cortado sherry cask.
Just 253 bottles of this special new dram are being released under the signature of renowned master blender Dr Kirstie McCallum, who took charge of the Crabbie’s whisky portfolio last year.
After spending 21 years in ex-bourbon casks, this peated Orkney single malt was transferred to a highly coveted Palo Cortado sherry cask, hand selected by Dr Kirstie, before being left to rest for a final six months at Crabbie’s warehouse in Edinburgh’s port of Leith area.
Tasting notes
Colour: bright gold.
Nose: hints of raisins, dried fruit, vanilla fudge and berries, balanced with peppery smoke.
Taste: layers of sweet berries and cream, with soft coffee caramel toffee. Dried fruit develops to a sweet, balanced peppered smokiness, with hints of dark chocolate and coffee.
Finish: long, lingering and smoky.
Bottled at 47.5%, the influence of this unusual sherry – described as Amontillado on the nose and Oloroso on the mouth – gives a wonderfully complex and rounded quality to the spicey smokiness of the finished whisky.
A nose of dried fruit, vanilla fudge, forest berries and a hint of peppery smoke lead to flavours of sweet berries and cream, caramel toffee, dried fruit and hints of dark chocolate and coffee, followed by a long, smoky finish.
This exclusive new bottling continues Crabbie’s legacy of whisky innovation and excellence, with the new expression being hailed as a rare treat for whisky fans. Dr Kirstie commented: ‘This beautiful, single cask Orkney single malt is a very special whisky, an unusual coming together of the wonderfully smoky flavours of the original bourbon-matured dram with so much depth and richness from one of the world’s rarest and most coveted sherries. And with only a few hundred bottles going on sale, I’m sure it will delight for drinkers looking for something special to enjoy.’
‘It gives me enormous pride to be continuing the founder’s legacy: of producing unique, unexpected and great quality whiskies for everyone to enjoy.’
With over 200 years of whisky expertise behind them, the modern day Crabbie team continue founder John Crabbie’s quest to seek out the finest, most interesting and eclectic Scotch whiskies to finish and bottle under his mark. Investment by parent company Halewood International in Crabbie’s new Bonnington Distillery has given fresh impetus to this pioneering Scottish brand, as they prepare to add their own whiskies to the range – distilled, matured and bottled in Leith, and set to launch this year.
Crabbie 22 Years Old Orkney Single Malt is bottled at 47.5% and is non-chill filtered with natural colour. It is available from Whisky Exchange and whisky-online with an RRP of £175.
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Halewood Artisanal Spirits is an award-winning UK-based craft distiller. Its premium gin brands include Whitley Neill Gin, City of London Gin, Marylebone Gin and Liverpool Gin. Halewood also has a strong portfolio of other high growth premium sprits, including Dead Man’s Fingers spiced rum, J. J. Whitley Russian Vodka, Samuel Gelston’s Irish Whiskey and Crabbie Whisky.
The business operates 10 artisanal distilleries across the UK, Russia and South Africa including: The City of London Distillery (the home of Whitley Neill Gin), The Liverpool Gin Distillery, Crabbie Distillery in Edinburgh, Aber Falls Distillery in North Wales, Bankhall Distillery in Blackpool, The Bristol & Bath Rum Distillery, Belgravia Distillery in South Africa and JJ Whitley in Russia. The company also operates the Hawkshead Brewery in Cumbria.
