When we received the keys to GlenAllachie our Master Distiller Billy Walker immediately set to work putting his fingerprint on our whisky; Scottish barley, 160 hour fermentation, slow distillation.
As a blender for almost 50 years, the warehouses are where Billy really does comes in to his own. Working across our 16 warehouses with casks dating back to the 1970’s, Billy has selected a limited number of casks to be released as GlenAllachie 18yo. The signature GlenAllachie rich, robust spirit in harmony with the heather and butterscotch notes.
The GlenAllachie 18 Year Old is bottled at 46%, non chill filtered and natural colour.
Glenallachie Distillers Company
Appearance
It’s a very dark gold, mahogany like, a medium thick swirl line with an all over coating and a few medium thick legs. #thewhiskeychaps
Glenallachie 18yo 46% ABV Appearance: Mahogony with an auburn hue, really dark and rich in appearance. A thin coating and hairline swirl mark form when agitated. Many slow forming thin to medium legs form. #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃🇺🇦 (@whiskeychap) May 19, 2022
Nose
Initially I’m getting a sweet perfume note, there’re floral notes too, and sitting just behind are the sherry aromas. Black liquorice, star anise, nutmeg, loads of wood interaction, and a mineral water aroma. #thewhiskeychaps
Black cherries, cloves, wood varnish, and I’m going old leather, puts me in mind of an old private library with dust flying around. #thewhiskeychaps
Palate
The mouthfeel is decent, but not syrupy, and there’s loads of ex Sherry cask flavours in here, as you’d hope, plus cigar leaves, ponefract cakes, chocolate coated raisins again, and sweetened black coffee. #thewhiskeychaps
An icing sugar/lemonade flavour passed through fleetingly, and I’m getting molasses, 5 spice, which is lasting well, cigar leaves, dunnage, and not overly woody for the age for me tbh. #thewhiskeychaps
Finish
Right at the end I do think it comes together better. I’m getting a slight ashiness, perhaps a bubble gum flavour, blood oranges as @whiskeychap suggests, long side of medium in length. #thewhiskeychaps
Finish: Medium in length. Dull spices and the blood orange bitterness. There's a touch of sweetness but not enough to balance. #thewhiskeychaps
— Whisk(e)y Chap 🏴🥃🇺🇦 (@whiskeychap) May 19, 2022
My thoughts
After recently tasting the Glenallachie 12 and 15yr old bottlings i had high hopes for this 18yr old, especially as the 12 and 15 were both very good whiskies in my opinion. There are plenty of aromas and flavours in the 18yr old, but they aren’t as well married for me as they are in the 12 and 15 , and the mouthfeel, which is syrupy thick in the younger aged bottles is missing in this bottle.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a good whisky, i did enjoy it, but it fell below my expectations of it, and if i had to choose between a bottle of 15 or 18 i would go for the 15yr old, with everything considered i prefer it.
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