John Smith, Scotland's most experienced distiller at the time, built the Cragganmore distillery in 1869. The spirit stills, which he designed himself, stand out because of their unusual shape. He himself designed them at the time to produce a lighter end product. The heavier alcohols condense, fall back into the still and do not end up in the final product. This explains the enormous complexity of the Cragganmore malt. Whisky journalists Michael Jackson and Dave Broom both chose Cragganmore as their big favorite in this price range.
