🥃 Cragganmore 12 Year Old
Cragganmore's core expression: 12 years, 40% ABV, mostly bourbon casks with a small share of sherry casks; the Speyside representative in Classic Malts.
Cragganmore 12 Year Old is the distillery's core, permanent expression from Speyside. Difford's Guide calls it the distillery's main release and the Speyside representative in the Classic Malts of Scotland selection. It is bottled at 40% ABV, according to Difford's Guide and Whisky for Everyone. It is a 12-year-old whisky with no distillation year on the label.
It is made from lightly peated barley malt and distilled twice in copper pot stills; the second-distillation stills have flat tops, and the vapour is condensed in water-cooled worm tubs. According to Whisky for Everyone, it matures mostly in bourbon casks with a smaller share of sherry casks. The official website describes flowers, honey, vanilla and a light smoke in the finish.
Why it matters to you. It is the benchmark for the distillery's style: it is convenient to compare it with Cragganmore Distillers Edition, which receives an extra finish in port casks. If you want to taste the distillery itself without the influence of wine, start with the 12-year-old. The WHO reminds that there is no safe dose of alcohol.
Facts
| Alcohol (% vol.) | 40% ABV |
|---|---|
| Minimum maturation | 12 years |
| Cask type | mostly bourbon casks, a smaller share of sherry casks |
| Raw material | lightly peated barley malt |
| Distillation method | twice, copper pot stills; flat-topped stills for the second distillation, water-cooled condensers |
| Year founded | in Classic Malts since 1988 |
| EU category | 2 — whisky/whiskey |
| Legal basis | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890): Single Malt Scotch Whisky |
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Cragganmore 12 Year Old → affects → 🍷 Alcohol and health ← affects ← 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Packed in
- 🍷 Sherry, 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel
- Made from
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Part of
- 🥃 Cragganmore, 🥃 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 🥃 Speyside whisky, 🥃 Scotch Whisky
- Similar and different
- 🥃 Cragganmore Distillers Edition, 🥃 Cragganmore Distillers Edition
Frequently asked questions
Is Cragganmore 12 a sherry whisky?
Not entirely. According to Whisky for Everyone, it matures mostly in bourbon casks, and sherry casks make up only a smaller share.
What is the strength of Cragganmore 12 Year Old?
40% ABV, according to Difford's Guide and Whisky for Everyone.
Is Cragganmore 12 peated?
The malt is lightly peated, so the smoke is faint and is noticed mostly in the finish.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🥃 Barley and malt in whisky — Malted barley is the base of whisky: malt enzymes convert starch in the mash, and EU whisky is distilled below 94.8% vol.
- 🍷 Drunk driving — Never drive after drinking wine: alcohol slows your reactions.
- 🥃 Ex-bourbon barrel — American white oak cask of 180–200 litres used for bourbon: bourbon may only be aged in new charred casks, so used ones go to Scotch, Irish whiskey and rum.
Similar
🥃 Cragganmore Distillers Edition · 🥃 Benromach 15 Year Old · 🥃 Benromach 21 Year Old · 🥃 Benromach 10 Year Old · 🥃 Longmorn 18 Year Old · 🥃 Longmorn 22 Year Old
⚠️ Spirit drinks contain alcohol and are for adults only. Alcohol harms health. Do not drink during pregnancy or before driving; check the label for ingredients and possible allergens.
Sources
- Malts.com (Diageo): Cragganmore 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70cl (12 years; Speyside; tasting notes, light smoke in the finish)
- Difford's Guide: Cragganmore 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky (40 %; mainstream distillery bottling; Speyside in the Classic Malts of Scotland)
- Whisky for Everyone: Review — Cragganmore 12 Years Old (29.09.2025; 40 %; mainly ex-bourbon barrels, smaller share of ex-sherry casks; Classic Malts since 1988)
- Scotchwhisky.com (Whiskypedia): Cragganmore (regular official bottlings: 12-year-old and Distillers Edition finish)
- The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2890), reg. 3: definition and categories of Scotch Whisky
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)
Also listed under
- SpiritsWhiskyScotch WhiskySpeyside whisky
- SpiritsWhiskyScotch WhiskyCragganmore
- SpiritsWhiskyScotch Whisky
- SpiritsWhiskyCragganmore