Review by: The Muskox

This was dram #4 at the online Glenallachie tasting I attended last week, which featured special guest Billy Walker. Prior to buying Glenallachie, Billy Walker was the force behind the revitalization of GlenDronach and BenRiach from non-descript blend filler to well-respected and sought-after brands. A major part of that effort was the release of a wide variety of distillery-bottled single cask releases. He’s carried over that practice to Glenallachie, and as such we tried three single-cask bottlings during this tasting. This one is a pick for Spec’s in Texas.

I know the photo doesn’t quite match, but there are literally zero images of this bottle on the internet.

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Distillery: Glenallachie.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 56.4%, cask strength.

Age: 12 years old. Distilled on 05/27/2008. Bottled in November 2020.

Cask type: Cask #340, an Oloroso sherry puncheon.

Price: $137 USD for 750 mL at Spec’s.

Color: No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

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Nose: Big oloroso, but sweet and gentle. Lots of orange peel, raisin, and fruit cocktail syrup. Marzipan, butterscotch, and vanilla. Orange sherbet in a waffle cone. There’s that light olive oil note again. Underlying exotic spices and a bit of a fragrant floral note.

Palate: Medium-bodied silky. Dark rich fruit and sherry and caramel on the arrival, slightly sherbety. Rich balanced butterscotch and chocolate on the development. Brown sugar and a soft malty backbone. Polished wood, and a hint of something slightly leathery.

Finish: Medium-long and sweet. Citrus oils, fruitcake, maraschino cherries, cappuccino, and rum balls. A hint of mint and licorice.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Affogato my pants”

Notes: More good stuff from Glenallachie! This isn’t a mind-blowingly complex or even a mind-blowingly delicious whisky, but it’s balanced, has nice flavour, and just enough complexity to keep you interested. I like the buttery and sherbet notes. Like the 10 CS, this is a sweet, soft take on sherried whisky, without much of the Oloroso spice I expected. I’d probably pick the 10 CS over this cask.

Final Score: 84.

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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.