Cragganmore 12 Years
Cragganmore focuses on the production of single malt whisky for blends. Some of the whisky from the Speysider distillery can be found, for example, in the Johnnie Walker Green Label and the Johnnie Walker Blue Label. So are the distillery's own bottlings to be enjoyed at all?The Cragganmore 12 belongs to the Classic Malts of Scotland. The distillery regularly bottles a Distillers Edition of the same. Unless a special release or a rare 25-years bottling is released, we have to be satisfied with the first two.
The panel
Mean 71.0 · spread 6
Value for money 4/5
- Distillery
- Cragganmore
- Type
- Single Malt
- Region
- Speyside
- Country
- Scotland
- Age
- 12 years
- Strength
- 40% ABV
- Character
- delicate
Tasting
Nose
We get a strong smell of honey and butterscotch in the nose. After a while, we notice malty cereal notes in the middle part, while floral notes opening up a little further back.
Palate
Our first impression here is semolina pudding with pear puree - very intense. The Scotch is malty sweet with a good portion of vanilla. Characterised by pleasant oak, we have a discreet wood smoke, which is rounded off by cereal notes.
Finish
We would describe the sweet-bitter, slightly woody-spicy finish as a short trip rather than a long journey.
Verdicts
Marcel
The Cragganmore 12 is a charming everyday companion with its sweet, malty profile and subtle smoke that never becomes intrusive. For a whisky mostly used in blends, it surprises with pleasant drinkability and a hint of pear pudding – not spectacular, but likeable. A solid introduction to the world of Speyside that could certainly show a bit more personality.
Sascha
With a balanced interplay of sweet vanilla notes, malty-grainy structure, and a delicate touch of oak, the Cragganmore 12 presents itself as a technically clean Speyside malt. The finish is rather short and lightly woody-spicy, which makes the whisky clearly structured but somewhat unremarkable – ideal for fans of classic, straightforward single malts who aren’t looking for complex dram experiences.
What it is worth
We do not yet hold bottle-level auction results — that sits behind Whisky Hunter’s authenticated feed. What follows is the market for Cragganmore as a whole, which sets the weather for this bottling without pricing it.
Latest mean bid £93 across 43 lots · 2024-08