Origin: Speyside (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Strength: 57.2%ABV
Ageing cask: Ex-madeira
Chillfiltered: No
Added coloring: No
Owner: The GlenAllachie Distillers Co Limited
Average price: € 80.00
Official website: theglenallachie.com
Vote: 85/100
A special edition made for the Netherlands, with 309 bottles produced from a single cask ex-Madeira filled on 18 March 2009 and bottled in September 2019.
Ten years spent in what is usually a cask used for finishing or vatting, but Billy Walker has got us used to go outside the classic box when it comes to ageing casks, so you just have to accept the challenge and give it a go.
Tasting notes
Light amber in the glass.
Predictably, the nose has an intense effluvia of sweetness veined with acidity, with spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), sultanas, blueberries, prunes and dried apricots, marzipan, honey, orange peel and candy floss. The Madeira dominates, but it’s balanced and smooth.
Strongly tannic at the palate, with a nice warmth provided by the alcohol content that still accompanies ripe fruit tending to marmalade, well spiced, with balsamic touches on trifle, dark chocolate, almond, a hint of leather.
The finish is quite long and dry, astringent, with chocolate, red fruits, hazelnuts and a hint of saltiness.
The long maturation has benefited the influence of the barrel, which, while maintaining a high vinous component, never reaches total enslavement. A pleasant and slightly different dram, as one would expect from a single cask, without much complexity but very direct and marked.