Within the Craigellachie Hotel and the Copper Dog blend, the past, present and future of Scotch are met.

The hotel itself is owned by Piers Adam, an entrepreneur from London, who also owns the Copper Dog brand.

The hotel is a mix of modern and traditional. It captures the essence of Scotland, with lot of traditional prints and atmosphere, but it is also luxurious and contemporary.

It is set deep in the heart of the magnificent Speyside region, so you are surrounded by distilleries.

As well as this, it has two well-stocked bars, one in the Copper Dog restaurant, and the Quaich Bar upstairs.

Here you can sample a dram of whatever your heart desires, and with staff who have a deep passion for a drop of the good stuff, you can always count on their expertise should you desire a recommendation.

If you want to get into the heartland of Scotch and really get a feel for the Whisky world in this part of the country, then the Craigellachie Hotel cannot come recommended enough.

And that is before we even get to the Copper Dog. This is a wonderful dram that is full of character and flavour. It has received some of the highest praise from critics, including from Doug McIvor, who claimed this as the best dram under £30 that he had ever tasted.

The Whisky has even been given a score of 8.1/10 from Whisky legend Dave Broom. This puts it on a par with Highland Park 15 Year Old and the Dalmore Quintessence.

It was started by Piers Adam, who runs it in agreement with Diageo, who own the controlling shares.

The name itself is steeped in Whisky tradition, referring to a copper tube that was easily hidden and could be used to quickly dip into Whisky barrels to take some spirit home after a long day’s work.

This is a typical Speysider, but one that really does its region justice.

It opens with a nose full of orchard fruits, such as apples and pears, all drizzled with a delightfully easy-going honey.

It is smooth from the outset, even before it reaches the palette. The flavours brim over the top and you can really get your nose into it.

The fruits have a slightly earthy sense to them, with a little hint of blossom and bark.

The palette is packed with dried fruits and wooded tones, coming from the barrels. There is also an underlying spice, with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg in it.

This is warming and deep and really adds another flavour to the oak wood tones.

The oak is also complimented by the nuts and cereal notes that appear. These are subtle and unassuming but give a lovely background to the fruits and spices.

These are also to perfect notes to paly against some zesty orange and lemon flavours that appear.

The finish is wrapped up with more honey and fruit and all brought together in a lovely oak wood cask.

In summary; it is fcurling awesome. 

This is not a dram to miss, especially at such an amazing price, and if you happen to be in Craigellachie, then the best place to get it is definitely the Craigellachie Hotel!