Cragganmore

Single Malt
Purchase Price: Generally $40-$50
Place of Purchase: By the glass at Red Lion Inn (Stockbridge, MA) and dba (New York, NY)
Rating: 7.2

Wow. It's the honest to God truth to say that there are very few single malts that I don't like. There are some I like better than others, of course, but I genuinely feel that to make a comment like "All single malts are good" is NOT misleading or irresponsible. However, it's really only 90% true because (in my case, anyway) of malts like Cragganmore. I've tried it twice now, and had a hard time finishing my glass each time. This astounds me, as it is a highly rated malt. I can't even put my finger on what facet of it keeps putting me off. There was just some crazy aftertaste that stuck to the roof of my mouth like a Fruit Roll-Up and each successive sip only furthered my consternation. Baffling, but it is what it is. This rating may be revised in the future when I give it a third and maybe even fourth try, but for now, this holds the dubious distinction of being my least favorite single malt.