Glenallachie 12 Year (2008) Single Cask #495 PX Puncheon

Review by: The Muskox

This was dram #5 at the online Glenallachie tasting I attended last week, which featured special guest Billy Walker. Good thing I remembered to post this review before the end of the day. Gotta keep up that Scotchtoberfest streak! This whisky is another Spec’s pick single cask, this time in PX sherry.

Distillery: Glenallachie.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 52.9%, cask strength.

Age: 12 years old. Distilled 07/03/2008. Bottled in November 2020.

Cask type: Cask #495, a PX sherry puncheon.

Color: No colour added, un-chillfiltered.

Nose: Very sweet and PX-ey. Syrupy fruit notes of brown bananas, plum jam, balsamic reduction, caramel apples. Rich toffee, brown sugar, and toasted almonds. Orange marmalade and butter on toast. Belgian waffles with maple syrup and fresh berries. A hint of watermelon.

Palate: Medium-thick texture. Arrives with sweet fruits, orange peel, caramel, brioche, and some spicy cinnamon. Very buttery on the development, with butter tarts, buttercream icing, and Pistachio eclairs. Various frozen deserts: rum-raisin and pralines ‘n’ cream ice creams, and orange sherbet. Cotton candy and on the back end.

Finish: Medium-length, sweet and fizzy. Ginger syrup, orange sherbet, plum, caramel. Butter tarts and some coffee ice cream now. A hint of pepper.

Possible SMWS bottling name: “Soft-serve slush smoothie”

Notes: I didn’t like it as much at first, but upon second visit, it’s probably as good as the Oloroso. Even with a different kind of sherry cask, those sherbety and buttery flavours are here in spades. Looks like I’ll be seeking out single cask Glenallachies in the future.

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.

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