The Craigellachie Hotel Copper Dog Scotch Whisky
The Craigellachie Hotel Copper Dog Scotch Whisky is a blended malt Scotch at 40% ABV (80 proof) in a 750mL bottle, with no age statement. Created at the Craigellachie Hotel in Speyside in collaboration with Diageo, it blends no fewer than eight Speyside single malts — aged in a mix of refill American and European oak, first-fill bourbon, and rejuvenated casks — slowly married in old oak casks by Master Blender Stuart Morrison. It takes Double Gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, per Diageo. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 40% (80 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: No age statement (NAS)
- Blend: No fewer than eight Speyside single malts, married in old oak casks
- Casks: Refill American and European oak, first-fill bourbon, rejuvenated casks
- Origin: Speyside, Scotland — created at the Craigellachie Hotel
- Awards: Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2020 (per Diageo)
Named for the Smuggler's Best Friend
The "copper dog" was the distillery worker's secret tool — a copper tube with a penny soldered at one end and a cork at the other, used to carry a dram of whisky home. When Piers Adam bought the Craigellachie Hotel in 2014, its bar took the name, and this whisky was created for it: a Speyside blended malt designed for mixing as much as sipping, with its label emblem drawn by illustrator Hugo Guinness. Find it on our Scotch whisky shelf and the wider whisky collection, under The Craigellachie Hotel.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Ripe orchard fruit, berries, and citrus with sweet wood. Palate: Toffee apple, caramel, vanilla fudge, and soft fruit. Finish: Delicate and spicy.
How to Enjoy
It was designed for mixing — build a highball or a whisky sour on it — but the toffee-apple Speyside fruit holds up neat or over ice just as happily.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a copper dog? A copper tube distillery workers once used to smuggle whisky home — penny soldered at one end, cork at the other — and the name of the Craigellachie Hotel's bar.
What kind of whisky is Copper Dog? A blended malt — no fewer than eight Speyside single malts, with no age statement, married in old oak casks.
Who blends Copper Dog? Master Blender Stuart Morrison, for the Craigellachie Hotel brand created in collaboration with Diageo.
Speyside's eight-malt house pour — order The Craigellachie Hotel Copper Dog Scotch Whisky online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.