Review by: The Muskox

I’m back home for the holidays, spending time with old friends. Lucky for me, those friends have been very keen to share their whisky with me, so I’ve got a series of reviews coming over the holidays. Let’s start with this Glenallachie, which is finished in a variety of wine casks.

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Distillery: Glenallachie.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 48%.

Age: 9 years. Distilled in 2012. Bottled in 2022.

Cask type: Initially matured in American oak, then finished in wine casks from the Languedoc, Recioto Della Valpolicella and two Premier Cru Classé Chateaux.

Price: $110 CAD.

Color: Slightly pinkish. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Tastes pink, too. Very fruity – strawberries, dried cranberries, banana, and sweet wine. Honey and some young woody notes.

Palate: Medium texture, pretty hot. Arrives bittersweet and floral, with pink grapefruit peels, raspberries, tangerine, and dry honey. Develops to strong oak, drying spices, and leather.

Finish: Fairly short. More sweet strawberries and pink lemonade. Buttercream and young wood.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Headline: Drunken Bordeaux tourist ruins everything”

Conclusion:

…I don’t get it. Too dry, too hot, too short, too simple, too boring. There isn’t even an interesting parallel between the whisky and the wine I can point to, since this is a cuvée of different casks. Not that I can tell you what differentiates those wines in the first place.

But… yeah. Not very good.

Final Score: 72.

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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.