Glenallachie, indie and new batches


February 5, 2024

Glenallachie, indie and new batches

I thought that we could have two or three young Glenallachies offered without the intervention of too many hyperactive casks. I'm joking a bit, we love Glenallachie and all the people behind the brand (who are hyperactive themselves).

Glenallachie 14 yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail, Discovery, bourbon cask, +/-2023)

It's interesting that G&M have been maturing Glenallachie for their more regular ranges for fourteen years. At that time, Glenallachie was not The Macallan (no kidding, S.) Colour: white wine. Nose: pine needles, resin, orange peel, then an enormous bag of apples of all kinds and a very slight metallic touch. Silverware, let's say. Mouth: it's sweet, sugary, on dried fruits, with a faintly woody and very mild spice profile. The texture is quite creamy and features a succession of liqueurs, triple sec, parfait amour, sweet amaros... There is, indeed, a pleasant sweet bitterness. Finish: medium length, sweet, malty. It almost feels like a bit of liqueur has been added, which is of course impossible. And even if it were possible, G&M wouldn't do it. Comments: all the sweetness of barley and apples. It goes down almost by itself.
SGP:641 - 83 points.

Glenallachie 10 yo 'Cask Strength Batch 9' (58.1%, OB, 2023)

We had stopped at Batch 4, which we absolutely a-do-red (WF 88). To be honest, they've been using a plethora of different casks (PX, oloroso, virgin, Rioja – yep) but last time, it wasn't too noticeable. Rioja, can you imagine! Colour: amber. Nose: one almost gets the impression that all these more or less strange casks cancelled each other out a bit and have instead generated massive notes of artisanal chocolate and prunes. We're really in the territory of 105 or A'bunadh, or even old Mac 10 C/S, which is rather good news, right? With water: very nice fudge, caramel, chocolate, and praline. Mouth (neat): yes, very good, quite A'bunadh-like in a way. I know it's not too cool to mention other brands in a tasting note, but the thing is, I'm not a pro, I'm poorly brought up, and I do exactly as I please. Toffee. With water: it's really very good, with more pepper this time. There are also minuscule notes of fresh fruit, raspberries... Could it be the Rioja? Finish: long, powerful but balanced, curiously fresh. Comments: you know what the Italians say, there are two things you should never watch being made, mortadella and the law. Perhaps we could add certain malt whiskies to the list, caro mio. Score unchanged, no reason to change it, even if there's a little more fruitiness here.
SGP:651 - 88 points.

Good, the next one just to show that for once, WF isn't too far behind…

Glenallachie 10 yo 'Cask Strength Batch 10' (58.6%, OB, 2023)

They say 'red wine' instead of 'Rioja'. Don't tell me I'm going to miss the presence of a Rioja in my malt whisky, sweet Vishnu! Colour: dark reddish apricot. There, the red wine is evident. Nose: more vinous, fruitier, more on small red and black berries, with a Burgundy side represented by touches of black cherries. There's definitely a cherry liqueur aspect, but water could change everything. With water: well no, it seems like if they've added guignolet while no one was watching. It's not bad, far from it, but it may be to Speyside malt what Kriek is to Belgian beer, if you see what I mean. For now… Mouth (neat): not bad at all but below Batch 9. Much more cherry jam, and a lot more pepper and ginger. With water: it's very good, it just tastes rather more 'flavoured' than batch 9, which was firmly established in the category of... Let's not repeat those brand names, please. Finish: long, sweet, with a lot of cherry. Comments: on the one hand, I love cherries in general, but on the other hand, the rather superlative Batch 9 had more class and... malt. Well, we'll see what Batch 11 is like, I hope it's not out yet, is it? Are we late once more?
SGP:651 – 86 points.

I do hope they'll offer some nice refills one of these days. After all, whisky is also a matter of whisky, right?

Check the index of all Glenallachie we've tasted so far