Review by: dustbunna
Distillery: GlenAllachie.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Speyside.
ABV: 60.2%. Cask strength.
Age: 4 years. Distilled in 2018. Bottled in 2022.
Cask type: Vatting of ex-bourbon, ex-rye, and virgin oak casks
Price: $122 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 4 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: grassy, mossy smoke, grapefruit zest, candied yams, earth, moss, flint.
Palate: full-bodied and sweet on arrival ~ icing sugar, more grapefruit zest, menthol, medicinal smoke, wet rocks, more moss, brown sugar, a jamón-like meatiness.
Finish: medium length ~ on smoke and sugarcane, Concord grapes, flint, brown sugar.
Conclusion: GlenAllachie released this in 2022 to commemorate Billy Walker’s 50th year working in Scotch whisky. Though more have followed, this was officially the first release of GlenAllachie spirit distilled under Walker, and I have to say it’s considerably better than most pre-Walker GlenAllachies I’ve tried so far. A common complaint I have with GlenAllachie (and I see this echoed by many others in reviews) is that it drinks far, far hotter than its ABV due to the way it was produced under their previous owners, running the stills hard for use as a blend filler. This 4yr drinks like it’s been made with care, akin to newer distilleries like Raasay and Torabhaig. It’s surprisingly drinkable at its full strength (though it takes water well, and doesn’t change its profile much with the addition of water.)
It definitely wears its youth on its sleeve, but because it’s distilled well (and I believe in no small part because it is peated) that youthful quality works. There’s a green and earthy freshness throughout the dram, with twists of citrus and minerals in the right places. If I’m nitpicking, it goes a touch too sweet for my liking at times (who knows if that’s from the spirit or the virgin oak component of the casking), but there’s still plenty here to enjoy. Even after Walker took over GlenAllachie, I didn’t really have them on my radar…but if this is the direction they’re going in order to transform what the distillery makes, then I think it’s showing a lot of promise.
Final Score: 84.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 