Whisky Focus - The GlenAllachie Single Cask Batch 6 & Spirit of Speyside Bottling

The GlenAllachie Distillery has launched Batch 6 of their UK-exclusive Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whiskies, and as if that is not enough they have also released a distillery exclusive bottling for this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, which will run from 27th of April to the 2nd of May 2022.

The Aberlour-based distillery, headed up by industry veteran Billy Walker, took home Visitor Attraction of the Year 2022 at the Icons of Whisky Awards, it has become renowned for releasing some outstanding expressions, a result of Billy Walker’s unparalleled wood management prowess, each cask for this 6th batch and Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2022 release was selected from an inventory spanning over 50,000 casks maturing within 16 on-site warehouses.

The four new GlenAllachie Single Cask Single Malts released are:

• The GlenAllachie 15 Year Old Cask #3292 ex-Solera Oloroso Butt (Spirit of Speyside 2022)
   
• The GlenAllachie 11 Year Old Cask #1036 Premier Cru Classé Barrique
   
• The GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask #5368 Tawny Port Hogshead
   
• The GlenAllachie 9 Year Old Cask #806890 Peated Bourbon Barrel

The GlenAllachie 15 Year Old Cask #3292 has been specially selected by Billy and bottled exclusively for the Spirit of Speyside Festival 2022. This was aged in a fresh Bourbon barrel followed by a first-fill Oloroso puncheon before being re-racked into an antique Oloroso Sherry butt previously used as part of an intricate solera system for 55 long years. Bottled at 59.4% ABV, UK RRSP £175

Solera is a maturation process deployed by Bodegas involving fractional blending in such a way that the finished product is a combination of ages, ensuring continuation of flavour profile through each vintage produced.

This incredibly lengthy cask history enabled the wood to impart deeply intense and complex layers of flavour upon the classic GlenAllachie DNA. This Single Cask is only available at their distillery shop.

The GlenAllachie 11 Year Old Cask #1036 Premier Cru Classé barrique is a cask which previously matured premium first growth Bordeaux red wine before hosting the GlenAllachie spirit for 11 years. The result they tell me is a single malt bursting with Turkish delight, cinnamon stewed apples and summer berries. Bottled at 59.9% ABV, UK RRSP £100.

The GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask #5368 is said to deliver a vibrant, fruity flavour profile and ruby blush appearance following maturation in a cask sourced from Portugal which formerly held vintage Tawny Port. Bottled at 56.5% ABV, UK RRSP £95

The GlenAllachie 9 Year Old Cask #806890 the youngest whisky in this batch was filled to an ex-Bourbon barrel which was used to age peated spirit distilled at The GlenAllachie Distillery. They tell me that this very rare cask type has bestowed subtle notes of burnt sugar alongside root ginger and black pepper. Bottled at 60.1% ABV, UK RRSP £90.

All GlenAllachie Single Casks are presented at their natural colour, non chill filtered and at natural cask strength for maximum flavour and mouthfeel.

Commenting on the new products, Walker remarks: "At GlenAllachie, we are deeply passionate about sourcing unique and innovative casks, particularly from premium, niche producers. Each of these casks selected reflect this; from the French fine wine barrique to the antique Sherry butt which dates back to the middle of the 20th Century, each brings considerable character and charm to the table.

"We now look forward with great delight to welcoming whisky fans from across the world to our hidden gem for the Spirit of Speyside Festival, with these spectacular drams getting the limelight they deserve."

The GlenAllachie distillery’s on-site shop will have stock of all four Single Casks from today, including the Spirit of Speyside 2022 bottling.

You will find The GlenAllachie Single Cask Single Malts Batch 6 available from specialist online whisky retailers such as The Whisky Exchange, Hard To Find Whisky and Master of Malt
 

• UK Shops
   
• USA Shops
   
• European Shops

Whisky Focus