WHISKY DISTILLERY OF THE YEAR MARKS MILESTONE BY LAUNCHING LIMITED EDITION RELEASES
On the second anniversary of its purchase by Billy Walker, The GlenAllachie reveals Batch 3 of its Cask Strength series and five new single casks
Two years to the day since being bought by Billy Walker and hot on the heels of winning Scottish Whisky Distillery Of The Year, The GlenAllachie is launching Batch 3 of its Cask Strength series, and a new collection of five UK exclusive single casks.
Batch 3 of The GlenAllachie’s Cask Strength series is a 10-year-old single malt which has been specially selected by master distiller Billy Walker, who took over the Speyside distillery with Trisha Savage and Graham Stevenson on 3rd October 2017. Bottled unchilfiltered at 58.2%, the whisky was matured in Speyside in first and second-fill Bourbon, PX puncheon, Oloroso hogshead and virgin oak casks.
With only 3,500 cases available worldwide, Batch 3 (£58.99) offers what Walker describes as a ‘big experience’ of dark chocolate, heather honey, sweet spices and orange peel.
The batch of five GlenAllachie single casks, which have also been handpicked by Billy Walker from among the 50,000 casks at the Speyside distillery, are available exclusively in the UK.
The batch comprises a 10-year-old Marsala hogshead (£85), a 12-year-old Madeira hogshead (£95), a 13-year-old PX Hogshead (£100), a 15-year-old Oloroso puncheon (£110), and an 18-year-old PX Hogshead (£135).
Each single cask release demonstrates the exceptional casks to be found in GlenAllachie’s warehouses and Walker’s meticulous approach to wood management which sees him use his experience and expertise to steer the unique interaction of wood, spirit and subsequent flavour development.
The new releases come at a momentous time for the distillery. Two years on from being purchased by Walker, The GlenAllachie recently earned the prestigious Scottish Whisky Distillery Of The Year award at the inaugural Scottish Whisky Awards in Edinburgh. Prior to that, in August, the distillery also added a 15-year-old single malt to its multi award-winning core range.
In July, the distillery revealed its first Wood Finish range, which comprises three expressions. In May, the distillery unveiled its visitor centre and shop, welcoming visitors to the distillery for the first time since it was built in 1967.
The distillery’s team has also grown – in the last two years, the headcount has risen from 7 to 22 people following the recent addition of Ronan Currie to the sales team.
Walker said: “It’s an incredibly exciting time for The GlenAllachie. A lot has happened and changed since we took over exactly two years ago – from opening our new visitor centre to winning the Scottish Whisky Distillery Of The Year award last month.
“One thing that hasn’t changed however is our dedication to selecting the finest casks from the stocks we’re fortunate to have in our warehouses and using our passion for wood management to bring whisky fans truly exceptional releases.
“Batch 3 of our Cask Strength series, and the new collection of five single casks, are wonderful examples of the exceptional whisky that can be found among our 50,000 casks.”
Further information on the distillery and company can be found at www.theglenallachie.com
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TASTING NOTES
GlenAllachie 10 year old Cask Strength Batch 3 – 58.2%
- Colour: Rich Mahogany
- Nose: A big experience of dark chocolate, raisins and heather honey, with layers of sweet spice and orange peel.
- Taste: Rich notes of dark chocolate, raisins, treacle and heather honey, with sweet spices, orange peel and hints of eucalyptus.
GlenAllachie 18yo PX Hogshead cask # 4152 – 55.1% – 307 bottles
- Colour: Mahogany.
- Nose: Orange zest and green apples, with hints of dark chocolate and cinnamon.
- Taste: Honeycomb and barley sugar fused with layers of raisins, treacle, orange peel and sweet spices.
GlenAllachie 15yo Oloroso Puncheon cask # 6213 – 56.7% – 354 bottles
- Colour: Mahogany.
- Nose: Plantains, heather honey, orange zest and a hint of cinnamon.
- Taste: Rich spices infused with treacle, raisins, orange peel and dark chocolate.
GlenAllachie 13yo PX Hogshead cask # 6580 – 60.1% – 323 bottles
- Colour: Intensely Rich Mahogany.
- Nose: Dark chocolate, mocha, honey and sweet spices.
- Taste: A fantastic fusion of mocha, dark chocolate, orange zest, treacle, mint and cinnamon.
GlenAllachie 12yo Madeira Hogshead cask # 3767 – 60.8% – 289 bottles
- Colour: Deep Bronze.
- Nose: Pineapples, orange zest, sweet spice and mint.
- Taste: A storm of apricots, pineapple and coconut, fused with cinnamon and a hint of mint.
GlenAllachie 10yo Marsala Hogshead cask # 586 – 57.4% – 283 bottles
- Colour: Copper Bronze.
- Nose: Orchard fruit, pineapple, cinnamon and a hint of mint.
- Taste: A storm of heather honey, raisins, orange peel, toffee and apricots, with sweet cinnamon in the background.
