Glenallachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) - Batch 1

A Batch 1 / first edition that's already largely sold out in the UK. Last Australian stocks. Buy one to drink and collect as many as you can afford!

With few official bottlings and virtually no public profile, Glenallachie is uncommon, yet it can be exceptionally good.
How good? Good enough for Billy Walker to buy the distillery. Yes, that serial whisky entrepreneur who performed wonders reviving Glendronach, Benriach & Glenglassaugh is at it again. As of 2018, Glenallachie is his new baby, and his enthusiasm isn’t surprising.

While it may be one of the younger distilleries in Speyside, dwarfed by neighbouring grand marques like Macallan, Aberlour, Glenfiddich and Balvenie, Glenallachie's lack of notoriety seems part of the charm for Walker. ”What I do know is that this is very good liquid, and that the inventory is excellent for single malt [whiskies date back to the 1970s] ...Having a distillery which is a blank piece of paper and with mature stock is always a bonus" he adds.

Over the best part of a year, Walker and his consortium have been assessing and selecting maturing stocks from around 50,000 casks. The effort has been towards the unveiling of a new core range comprising a 10 Year Old Cask Strength, a 12, 18 and a super limited 25 Year Old (one bottle only to sell). Peated runs are in the pipeline.

Billy was especially keen to showcase Glenallachie at natural strength, and what a gem it is. Matured in a mix of American oak, Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso sherry and virgin oak casks, the first edition has been quickly replaced by batch 2 in the UK. These are the last stocks of Batch 1 in Australia. As a first edition showcasing the largeness of the distillery style, it should be on every drinker's (and collector's) shortlist. We were so impressed, we took everything we could get. At this very affordable opening price, buy one to drink and two to collect...Or the other way around. Either way, you won’t lose.

Tasting note: Deep copper-gold. The bouquet pretty much says it all. Big and plush with sherry fruits and a good dose of vanilla, hints rose water and Turkish delight. Like this better after 5-10 minutes air contact, drying the aroma, becoming more balanced and complex. In the mouth it’s oily, muscular, rich and spiced-up with the PX and virgin oak apparent as juicy raisin / apricot marmalade through the middle stage. Exudes flavour. Gingery heat just accentuates everything, with orange oils, dark chocolate and hints of glace cherry balancing the finish. The length is quite special. Give this buxom, chewy malt good air-time to show its best. Minimal water really creams up the texture. Hugely enjoyable. 57.1% Alc./Vol.

Notes from Glenallachie... Big notes of heather honey and toffee, with rose hip and spices tip-toeing in. Honey, vanilla, toffee with a layer of rose hip, marmalade and Caribbean spices. 57.1% Alc./Vol.