Batch 6 of The Glenallachie’s cask strength 10-Year-Old has been matured in a combination of Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry puncheons, as well as a small number of virgin oak and ex-Rioja wine casks.
Appearance: Oak, really lovely dark orange/brown. A lovely corrugated film forms quickly on the glass, multiple thick legs and some teardrops.
A chaotic swirl mark circles the glass.
Nose: Big ABV wave, reassuringly heady. Strong wood notes and cask char, eucalyptus, bourbon-like honey and vanilla, dried fruits and heaps of blackberries and plum.
It’s a fantastic and 100% my kind of nose.
Some fresh cut grass and nettle after a time, once the glass matures.
Bitter dark chocolate notes and plenty of funk.
Palate: Nice oily mouthfeel, not buttery, but definitely oily.
Spice, mint, liquorice, dried fruits, cherry, chocolate and nutmeg.
Bitterness with drying and almost numbing at the back of the tongue, towards the throat.
Again, there’s a specific CS bourbon-like flavour profile here, that honey and vanilla (this specific flavour element is actually reminiscent of Bomberger’s Declaration to me!).
After acclimatising more, there’s a sharper menthol fruit note, like Halls Soothers.
Finish: Long and spicy. The sharp fruit note lasts for a while. It’s survived by the spice and slight bitterness.
Overall: I like it a lot but I’m looking forward to exploring how the bottle changes over time.
The bitterness and drying could do with toning down and I hope this will happen with the bottle maturation.
I have a sneaking suspicion that it will mellow and become more dark fruit-forward, which will only make it even better.
Here’s hoping! 🤞
