A pleasing little Speysider, which I think can handle a small shot of water.

Has way more substance and character than most entry-level twelve-year-olds. Good body at 46%, a nice introduction to the distillery and the distillate. There are quite a few things going on here, and nothing dominates. Very interwoven and thoroughly unboring. I like it a lot.

The best thing about this whisky is definitely the finish. Overall, a tasty whisky with slight balance problems. A bit overpriced. Quite suitable as every day dram.

Craigallachie heavily promotes their use of the traditional wormtub over the more modern style condenser for its ability to increase the amount of copper contact the spirit experiences and hence impart greater complexity to the whisky. However all things considered, I'd still classify this as a relatively simple and easy-drinking whisky. The nose is a fairly balanced mix of light florals and orchard fruits, with some evidence of that savoury flavour from the copper in the background. The palate is, likewise, relatively straightforward, continuing with the nose: florals, orchard fruits and a touch too much wood bitterness on the end. With water things become more balanced and the flavour noticeably improves. The finish contains a bit more savoury than that palate and a little more heat. Overall it is a decent whisky.

Solid malt. You can drink it. But that's just not something that blows you away. A neat entry-level paint. Not more but also not less.