Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 48%ABV
Ageing casks: Ex-Bourbon, ex-Sherry Oloroso and ex-PX
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: The GlenAllachie Distillers Co Limited
Average price: € 245.00
Official website: theglenallachie.com
Vote: 88/100
With a pirouette leap worthy of the best trapeze artist, after tasting the 12 year old we jump forward almost twice as far and arrive at the quarter century of ageing.
The product of the experience and creativity of new master distiller (and co-owner) Billy Walker, GlenAllachie’s core portfolio has been rethought from the ground up, with a wide choice of ageings of which this is (at the moment) the most mature.
I wasn’t particularly impressed by the 12 year old, but I did see some ‘potential’.
Tasting notes
Dark amber in the glass.
Obviously sherried nose, very soft and warm, with distinct dried fruits (prunes, dates and candied orange) covered with chocolate. Sultana bread, caramelised butter, cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. Floral and balsamic undertones. Rich and varied profile, with personality.
Chocolate also reigns on the palate, with lots of candied orange and a pleasant hint of chilli pepper, accompanied by the scent of leavened bread with hazelnuts and sultanas which, together with the spices (cinnamon, of course, but also aniseed and nutmeg), give an acidic and bitter profile, enlivening the aromatic palette. Balsamic in the background, less pronounced than on the nose, and wood.
Medium-long finish, sweet/bitter, of hazelnuts, plums, malt and wood.
The aspects felt in the 12 year old seem amplified here, with just the right consistency of ageing, and appear more ordered and balanced, marking what is clearly the personality of GlenAllachie (and of the work Walker is doing).
This is a whisky that doesn’t bore and stands out from other Sherried whiskies, with the risk of not pleasing everyone, but who cares? Perhaps a little overpriced given its lack of complexity, but it is well worth tasting.
Reviews of The GlenAllachie whisky
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