Review #808 - Signatory Vintage Craigellachie 17 Year - US 100 Proof Exceptional Cask
Signatory Vintage's 100 Proof range has quite a few small batch single malts at this point, but they also produce some individual 'exceptional casks' in the range; the US version of this 100 Proof series is the same, with a few batches, as well as a limited number of single casks. This is the first single cask in the US 100 Proof series: a 17 year old Craigellachie single malt.
This whisky was aged in a first fill Oloroso sherry butt, a treatment that we often see with Craigellachie spirit. Their meaty distillate seems to pair well with the fruit and spice notes of sherry casks; at a nice elevated strength of 50% ABV, we're hoping to see plenty of that flavor delivered by this whisky.
Signatory Vintage Craigellachie 17 Year - US 100 Proof Exceptional Cask
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Price: USD 149 (2026)
Age Statement: 17 Years
Strength: 50% ABV
Cask Makeup: First fill Oloroso sherry butt
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; distilled 2007, bottled 2024
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 70% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Musty and savory, with strong orange fruit notes. Subtle polished furniture oak, some dry pork and prunes build up over time... then we get the tannins or structure from sweet grape skins.
Palate: Cinnamon and oak spice lead the way, followed by notes of bold Malbec wine, cranberry sauce, blood orange, and a little hint of charcoal. Both sweet and savory all the time, and later, cherry syrup builds in intensity; it's a medium thickness mouthfeel.
Finish: Sugary sweet red fruits - candied strawberry, seedy raspberry, and some inky sweet red wine. Soft tannins combine with charred orange rind for a bit of sharpness, and this has a medium length finish.
Final Note: Very tasty whisky, one that shows a combination of flavor profiles and good complexity. There's the savory side of that worm-tub-driven Craigellachie distillate, plenty of sweet fruit from the maturation in Oloroso sherry, and a bit of oak spice from the extended length of aging. It possibly leaned a bit toward the sweet side of things overall; still, it's balanced enough and quite enjoyable.
Value here is quite fair, which isn't something we say too often about a whisky with a nice age statement. Craigellachie whisky has a ton of character, especially when aged in sherry, and this example at 17 years old is quite nice for about $150.
Our Rating: 7.8 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.04
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Craigellachie reviews:
Review #717 - Single Cask Nation Craigellachie 16 Year Single Cask
Review #646 - Berry Bros & Rudd Craigellachie 14 Year Single Cask
Review #438 - Single Malts of Scotland Craigellachie 11 Year Single Cask
Review #288 - SMWS 44.152 'Polly Put the Kettle On' - Craigellachie 9 Year
