Glenallachie - Glenlivet

SCOTCH SINGLE MALT WHISKIES > G

GLENALLACHIE - GLENLIVET

LAST BOTTLE AND EMPTY

12 years old

40 %
The Glenallachie Distillery Co, Ltd,
Leith

GLENALLACHIE

18 years old

43 %
THE CASTLE
COLLECTION NUMBER 3
Distilled 10/76
Cask No. 6236
Bottled 6/95
The Whisky Castle, Tomintoul

GLENALLACHIE

LAST BOTTLE AND EMPTY

8 years old

43 %
VINTAGE 1991
Distilled 5.3.91
Bottled 10.3.99
Matured in a sherry butt
Butt No. 1340
780 bottles
Signatory Vintage
Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd, Edinburgh

GLENALLACHIE

10 years old

46 %

Distilled 5/3/1991
Matured in a sherry cask
Cask No. 01/108
Bottled 16/3/2001
204 bottles
Usquebach Society, Nederland

The distillery stands on the slopes of Ben Rinnes at the back of Aberlour village and is owned by the same company which owns Aberlour Distillery. It was built by Mackinlays in 1967, designed by Delme Evans.

GLENALLACHIE

12 years old

43 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY   SELECTION
Distilled 12/2/92
Matured in a bourbon barrel
Cask no. 451
Bottled 23/3/04
Genummerde flessen
The Ultimate Whisky Company, N.L.

GLENALLACHIE

13 years old

43 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Single Highland Malt
Distilled:   13/2/92
Bottled:26/04/05
Matured in a Bourbon Barrel
Cask no: 458
Numbered Bottles
The Ultimate Whisky Company,

N.L.

GLENALLACHIE

14 years old

46 %
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Single Speyside Malt
Distilled:13/02/92
Bottled:   24/02/06
Matured in a Bourbon barrel
Cask: 463
Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Non Chillfiltered
The Ultimate Whisky Company,

N.L

GLENALLACHIE

Aged 14 years

43 %
SIGNATORY VINTAGE
Distilled on:   13.02.1992
Matured in:   Bourbon Barrel
Cask No:   464 + 65
Bottled on: 31.07.2006
Numbered Bottles
613 Bottles
Natural Colour
Signatory Vintage Scotch Whisky Co, Ltd,

Edinburgh

GLENALLACHIE

1992

15 years old

46 %
Single Speyside Malt
THE ULTIMATE SINGLE MALT
SCOTCH WHISKY SELECTION
Distilled: 13/02/92
Matured in a bourbon barrel
Cask no. 471
Bottled: 11/09/07
Numbered Bottles
Natural Colour
Non Chillfiltering
The Ultimate Whisky Company,

NL

GLENALLACHIE

43 %

1 9 9 9
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
CONNOISSEURS CHOICE
Distillation Date: May 1999
Cask Type: Refill Bourbon Barrels
Bottling Date: January 2012
Proprietors: The Glenallachie Distillery Co. Ltd
Specially selected, produced and bottled by
Gordon & Macphail, Elgin
Nose: Fresh and fragrant, with a hint of malt

Palate: Warming – mixed spices sweet and fresh

Body: Medium

Finish: Lingering

THE GLENALLACHIE

Aged 10 years

57.1 %

Speyside single Malt Scotch Whisk

Cask Strenght

Batch 1

From The Valley of the Rocks

Natural Colour

Non Chill Filtration

Distilled, Matured and bottled in Scotland

The Glenallachie Distillers Co. Limited, Aberlour

Colour: Deep gold

Nose: Big notes of heather honey and toffee, with rose hip and spices tip – toeing in

Taste: Honey, vanilla and toffee with a layer of rose hip, marmelade and Caribbean spices.

single malt

Glenallachie, from the Gaelic Glean Aileachaidh meaning ‘Valley of the Rocks”The Geology

here is dominated by ancient rock formations. Not any old stone, not any old whisky either.

You have in your hand a glass of Glenallachie Speyside Single Malt. That’s Glen – Alla – Key.

Talking of which, the key tot his superb malt is dedication. Under the guidance of Master

Distiller Billy Walker, a process of slow fermentation, precise distillation and long matu –

ration in the finest casks from around the world delivers this fantastic single malt, as natural

as the rocky place it hails from.

And to retain this rich, full flavour we bottle it at a higher alcohol by volume. Billy proudly

puts his name on every single one of these bottles, In their pursuit of exellence, he and

his team na bi fois, leave no stone unturned.

Neat or with a splash of water, its you choice<]. On the rocks? Sure. It’s Glenallachie after

all.

THE GLENALLCHIE

Aged 12 years

46 %

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

From The Valley of The Rocks

Non Chill Filtered

Billy Walker Master Distiller

Distilled, Matured and Bottled in Scotland

The Glenallachie Distillers Co. Limited, Aberlour

Under the guidance of Master Distiller Billy Walker, a process of slow fermentation,

precise distillation and long maturaytion in the finest casks from around the world

delivers this fantastic single malt, as natural as the rocky place it hails from.

Colour: Polished Bronze

Nose: Butterscotch and honey playing the lead, with raisins and mocha in the background

Taste: Honey, marzipan and bananas, with lashings of butterscotch, raisins and a delicate

hint of mocha.

Speyside
GLENALLACHIE - GLENLIVET

Aberlour, Banffshire. Licentiehouder: The Glenallachie Distillery Co, Ltd. Eigendom van House of Campbell. Onderdeel van Pernod Ricard S.A.

Glenallachie - Glenlivet is gebouwd in 1967 naar een ontwerp van Delmé -Evans, ook de architekt vanTullibardine (1949) en Isle of Jura (1963) in op dracht van Charles Mackinlay & Co.
Deze firma was in 1961 overgenomen door Scottish & Newcastle Breweries en met hun steun werd in 1963 Isle of Jura herbouwd.

In 1985 wordt Charles Mackinlay, inclusief de drie distilleerderijen gekocht door Invergordon Distilelrs Ltdvoor £ 17.5.000.000.

Glenallachie werd gesloten in 1985. Glenallachie kwam in 1989 in het bezit van House of Campbell die er twee ketels bij bouwden.
Glenallachie heeft nu vier ketels en betrekt zijn koel- en proceswater van twee bronnen op de berg Ben Rinnes. De jaar kapaciteit is ongeveer 1,6 miljoen liter spirit per jaar.
2005: Kapaciteit: 2.800.000 liter spirit per jaar.

July 2017

The Glenallachie distillery in Speyside has been sold by Chivas Brothers to a consortium headed by former BenRiach MD Billy Walker.

Glenallachie distillery: The Speyside plant has been sold by Pernod Ricard

Chivas parent company Pernod Ricard said it had reached an agreement with The Glenallachie Consortium – comprising Billy Walker, ex-Inver House MD Graham Stevenson and Trisha Savage.

The deal includes the Glenallachie distillery, its single malt brand, plus blended Scotch brands MacNair’s and White Heather, as well as stocks ‘to support future development of those brands’.

The consortium said its mission was ‘to be a wholly Scottish-owned, Scottish-based, and truly independent Scotch whisky company, producing excellent whiskies and offering them to the market at premium but affordable prices’.

Walker has been involved in Scotch for more than 40 years, including stints at Ballantine’s, Inver HouseDistillers and Burn Stewart.

He was instrumental in founding and building The BenRiach Distillery Company, which was sold to American group Brown-Forman for £285m in 2016.

Stevenson has spent almost 30 years working in Scotch, much of that time as MD of Inver House Distillers, owner of single malts including Balblair and Old Pulteney.

Savage, with more than 30 years’ experience in Scotch, has worked closely with Walker throughout her career.

Pernod Ricard said the sale was in line with its strategy ‘to focus on its priority spirits and wine brands and to adjust its industrial footprint to its needs’.

The sale is expected to close before the end of 2017.

Pernod sells the Glenallachie Distillery

July, 2017

The Glenallachie Consortium

Billy Walker is a well known character in the scotch whisky industry, having now been involved in the industry for more than 40 years. With a degree in chemistry Walker has been involved in most aspects of the production of scotch whisky, having spent time at Ballantines, Inver House Distillers and Burn Stewart. More recently he was instrumental in establishing and building the BenRiach Distillery Company prior to its sale in 2016.

Graham Stevenson is a chartered accountant who has spent almost 30 years in the scotch whisky industry. He initially joined the North British Distillery Company in Edinburgh before moving to Inver House Distillers in 1994. He has remained there for the past 23 years, most of that time as managing director.

Trisha Savage has over 30 years’ experience in scotch. Starting at Burn Stewart she has worked with Billy throughout her career and was also instrumental in establishing and building the BenRiach Distillery Company.

The consortium says its mission is to be a wholly Scottish-owned, Scottish-based, and truly independent scotch whisky company producing excellent whiskies and offering them to the market at premium but affordable prices.

Lightness is a characteristic of most of the 1960s distilleries and Glenallachie is no exception. A malty undertone adds some textural quality to the palate while delicate fruits rise above.

One of the results of the US-fuelled 1960s whisky boom, Glenallachie was built in 1967 by Scottish & Newcastle Breweries’ distilling subsidiary, Mackinlays. It is notable for being one of the distilleries designed by William Delmé-Evans who was also behind Macduff, Tullibardine and Jura.

In 1985, Mackinlays became part of own-label specialist Invergordon Distillers which flipped Glenallachie to Campbell Distillers/Pernod Ricard four years later, during most of which it had been mothballed.

It is only very rarely seen as a single malt bottling – most notably as part of Chivas Brothers’ Cask Strength series.

In July 2017, it was announced that Chivas Brothers had agreed to sell Glenallachie to The Glenallachie Consortium – former BenRiach MD Billy Walker, ex-Inver House Distillers MD Graham Stevenson and Trisha Savage.

1967

Glenallachie is built by Mackinlay

McPherson & Co, a subsidiary

of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries Ltd

Architect is William Delme Evans, also

the architect of MacDuff, Tullibardine,

Isle of Jura

Lothian Barclay is architect from the buildings

1968 - 1975

9/2 Glenallchie starts with two stills 21.250 Ltrs producing

14/10 Glenallchie starts with the two other stills 15.000 Ltrs

William Delme Evans is manager

Output: 3.200.000 Ltrs

1985

Scottish & Newcastle Breweries Ltd

sells Charles Mackinlay Ltd to I

nvergordon

Distillers and also Isle of Jura and

Glenallachie distilleries

1987

Glenallachie is decommissioned

1989

Glenallachie is purchased by

Campbell Distillers

(later part of Pernod Ricard)

Glenallchie reopens

2005

The first, and only, official

Glenallachie bottling is a

16-year-old cask strength

from 1989

2017

Glenallachie Distillery Edition

is released

Chivas announces sale of

Glenallachie to consortium

led by ex-BenRiach MD Billy Walker:

The Glenallachie Consortium

2018

A series of SC bottlings is released

followed by a core range of 12, 18,

25 years old

2019

A range of Wood Finishes is

released

A 15 year old is released

A Visitor Centre is opened

2020

Capacity: 4.000.000 Ltrs

Output: 700.000 Ltrs

+ 100.000 Ltrs heavily peated

(From Robert Brilleman)

A 21 years old CS , a Rye, Port and

Moscatel Finish are released

2021

A 30 years old CS and the Wine

Cask Finish Series are released

2022

The 50th Anniversary Trilogy is launched

The 2012 Cuvee Cask Finish released

CAPACITY (MLPA) i

3.9

Water source: Burn of Henheads and

Burn of Blackstank both at ben Rinnes

CONDENSER TYPE i

Shell and tube

FERMENTATION TIME i

48hrs

FILLING STRENGTH i

63.5%

GRIST WEIGHT (T) i

9.4

HEAT SOURCE i

Wash - internal steam pans/radiators,.

Spirit - internal steam coils

MALT SPECIFICATION i

Unpeated

MALT SUPPLIER i

Various. Main varieties are Propino,

Optic, Oxbridge and Concerto

MASH TUN MATERIAL i

Stainless Steel

MASH TUN TYPE i

Semi Lauter

NEW-MAKE STRENGTH i

67-70%

SPIRIT STILL CHARGE (L) i

15,000

SPIRIT STILL SHAPE i

Ogee

STILLS i

2 pairs

WASH STILL CHARGE (L) i

21,500

WASH STILL SHAPE i

Lamp glass

WASHBACK TYPE i

Lined with stainless steel

WASHBACKS i

WATER SOURCE i

Ben Rinnes Springs

WORT CLARITY i

Moderately clear

YEAST TYPE i

Kerry Cream

Pernod Ricard

2001 - present

Chivas Brothers Holdings

Campbell Distillers

1989 - 2001

Invergordon Distillers

1985 - 1989

Mackinlay McPherson

1967 - 1985

October 2017

The new owners of Glenallachie distillery in Speyside have revealed plans for the site after purchasing it from Chivas Brothers earlier this year.

Glenallachie distillery Trisha Savage Billy Walker

New home: Trisha Savage and Billy Walker have high hopes for their new distillery venture

The newly-formed GlenAllachie Distillers Company, led by Billy Walker, Graham Stevenson and Trisha Savage, intends to release a range of ‘premium quality yet affordable’ whiskies.

Glenallachie’s core range will feature whiskies aged between 10- and 25-years-old, while a series of single cask bottlings and special edition whiskies will also be created.

In addition to purchasing the distillery and single malt brand from Chivas Brothers in July, the new company also acquired the defunct MacNair’s and White Heather blended Scotch brands, which will be rejuvenated with a variety of aged editions.

Walker, formerly MD of the BenRiach Distillery Company, which was sold to Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman in 2016, said he and his colleagues – long-term business partner Savage and ex-Inver House MD Stevenson – aimed to build a ‘truly independent, Scottish-owned and managed’ whisky company.

‘The Glenallachie distillery has been in good hands and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to become the custodian and continue the development as a single malt.

‘At 50 years old, it may be one of the younger distilleries on Speyside but the range of casks we have warehoused is tremendous, with whisky dating back to the 1970s.

‘Our aim is to nurture this liquid, develop the single malt and a range of blends that will be admired both home and abroad.’

Walker has previously commented that the first release from GlenAllachie Distillers Company will be launched in March 2018.

Glenallachie distillery was built in 1967 as part of the 1960s US-fuelled whisky boom. Designed by William Delmé-Evans, the renowned post-war architect behind Jura, Tullibardine and Macduff distilleries, Glenallachie has been used by Chivas Brothers to provide malt whisky for its Passport and 100 Pipers blends

WALKER RELEASES FIRST GLENALLACHIE WHISKIES

March 2018

GlenAllachie distillery is releasing its first whiskies following its sale to Billy Walker last year, ahead of the launch of a full core range in June.

GlenAllachie single casks

New dawn: The six single casks mark a new beginning for GlenAllachie on its 50th anniversary

The Speyside distillery is releasing six single cask bottlings from 1978, 1989, 1990 and 1991, with limited availability in various markets around the world.

Over 3,500 50 cl bottles will be produced,

all at cask strength, and made available

for between £200 to £699:

GlenAllachie 1978, 40 Years Old,

Sherry Butt, Cask #10296, 55.9% abv

GlenAllachie 1989, 29 Years Old,

Sherry Butt, Cask #986, 57.7% abv

GlenAllachie 1989, 29 Years Old,

Hogshead, Cask #2587, 45.4% abv

GlenAllachie 1990, 28 Years Old,

Sherry Butt, Cask #2515, 44.9% abv

GlenAllachie 1990, 28 Years Old,

Sherry Butt, Cask #2517, 54.6% abv

GlenAllachie 1991, 27 Years Old,

Hogshead, Cask #100285, 55% abv

Walker, who led the purchase of GlenAllachie from Chivas Brothers in July 2017, has spent the past few months reviewing the distillery’s stock inventory.

He said: ‘The past few months since we bought the distillery and its stock have been so exciting for the whole team. I’ve been able to try samples from some really remarkable casks of Scotch and to study how the spirit has evolved over time.

‘I’ve been involved in distilling whiskies for much of my 40-year career in the industry, but I’ve seldom come across such a high-quality collection of casks.’

The release of the six single casks marks the 50th anniversary of GlenAllachie’s opening in 1968, although the distillery’s whisky has been mostly reserved for blending by its former owner.

Walker added: ‘GlenAllachie has always been prized as an important blending ingredient, not just by Chivas Brothers but also by other whisky companies, which would buy casks to add to their own blends.

‘What’s particularly exciting about these special-edition single cask bottles is that we’ll be able to demonstrate the really high quality of GlenAllachie as a standalone whisky.’

Walker describes GlenAllachie as a ‘more muscular’ whisky than other Speysiders, demonstrating flavours from orange peel and grapefruit through to dark chocolate and cherries.

The six single casks preclude the launch of the distillery’s first core range in June.

Home Nieuws The GlenAllachie start goed met een lancering van zeer exclusieve single casks ter ere van het 50-jarige bestaan van de distilleerderij!

De nieuwe distilleerderij van Billy Walker, The GlenAllachie Distillery, lanceert ter ere van het 50-jarige bestaan een range met unieke single casks. Gezien het feit dat dit de eerste botteling is onder het bewind van Billy Walker en het een botteling betreft ter ere van het 50-jarige bestaan is de verwachting dat deze whisky’s ware ‘collector items’ zullen worden onder whiskyliefhebbers.

109385 GLENALLACHIE 1978

Single Cask#010296 -50th

anniversary bottling

109386 GLENALLACHIE 1989

Single Cask#986-50th

anniversary bottling

109391 GLENALLACHIE 1989

Single Cask#2587-50th

anniversary bottling

109395 GLENALLACHIE 1990

Single Cask#2515-50th

anniversary bottling

109397 GLENALLACHIE 1990

Single Cask#2517-50th

anniversary bottling

109407 GLENALLACHIE 1991

Single Cask#100285-50th

anniversary bottling

April 2018

After decades of providing fillings for blends, Speyside distillery GlenAllachie is stepping into the spotlight, with new owners, a batch of single cask bottlings – and a new core range of single malts to follow this June.

For 50 years, GlenAllachie was one of the many almost-anonymous Speyside distilleries, minding its own business and quietly chugging along. Operating away from the limelight, most of its whisky ended up in one of the many Chivas Brothers blends, including Passport and 100 Pipers.

This came to an end when a consortium headed by Billy Walker acquired GlenAllachie in July 2017. Since then, the former BenRiach MD and his team have been religiously assessing the vast stock inventory, carefully working towards launching GlenAllachie as a serious single malt whisky.

The launch of six single cask single malts, ranging in age from 1978 to 1991 and announced last week, is the first sign of life from GlenAllachie since the takeover. Marking the 50th anniversary of the distillery, these bottlings are only just the beginning.

The distillery’s first core range is expected in June, and will consist of a 12-, an 18- and a 25-year-old, as well as a 10-year-old bottled at cask strength. Plans for further batches of single cask releases are also in the works.

‘There’s quite a lot involved when reviewing the stock,’ explains Walker. ‘What do we have? Are there any gaps? What is the long-term plan? It also helped us find out what we need to do in terms of wood management.

‘I’ve been more than impressed with some of the whisky in our stocks. Some of the wood we have is very good, but some of it is maybe less good. We’re addressing those issues.

‘We’ll put a lot of it into Pedro Ximénez and oloroso [ex-Sherry] casks. We’ll also use some virgin oak. There’s a lot of things we can do with wood to enhance and to take the flavour in a different direction. That process is happening just now.’

However, he adds: ‘The getting of casks is becoming more and more difficult, and more expensive. But the wood is so important. We’ve taken quite a lot of time to get to where we’re at, and it will take more time to get to where we want to be.’

After taking over, Walker’s first order of business at GlenAllachie was to give the distillery a fresh lick of paint, to improve appearance and to boost staff morale. It’s classic Walker, as he did exactly the same when he acquired BenRiach, and later GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh.

The positive experiences at BenRiach and GlenDronach, and to a lesser extent at Glenglassaugh, created an aura of success around Billy Walker. While there are similarities between his previous endeavours and GlenAllachie, it’s not as simple as using the same template over and over again.

‘The BenRiach acquisition was at a point when the malt whisky industry was in a bit of a pioneering stage,’ says Walker. ‘This is probably an easier journey than it was then.

‘The truth is that importers are coming to us, while with BenRiach we were going to importers to encourage and persuade. That’s a fantastic benefit.’

However, reviving GlenAllachie won’t be as ‘easy’ as it was to re-establish GlenDronach, Walker believes. ‘GlenDronach had je ne sais quoi. It had character and a reputation. It was a simmering giant. I personally think that GlenDronach will be in the top five or six single malts within five years.

‘But only if [new owner] Brown-Forman handles it properly, if they pursue the appropriate wood policy and are prepared to invest money in the wood policy, and invest time to allow the wood to deliver.’

Most of the staff at GlenAllachie are new to the distillery, including operating director Richard Beattie, who joined fresh from launching Torabhaig distillery on Skye. A few of the old Chivas personnel, who have now moved on to The Glenlivet distillery, stayed on during the transition period to help the new employees get things up and running.

On the production side, the fermentation length was increased, from a relatively quick 48 hours under the previous owners, to a lengthy 100 hours under the new regime.

‘It produces an interesting broth,’ says Walker. ‘I’d describe the GlenAllachie spirit as pretty big, which is why it can take some interesting wood. It’s not typical Speyside, but rather quite muscular and pretty meaty.

‘We’re planning ahead now with some of the younger spirit, to see where we have to be in three, four or five years. We start moving some of the younger spirit into the kind of wood that we want the spirit to go forward in.’

No rush: Billy Walker insists that he will only bring whisky to market when it’s ready

Walker also plans to produce peated GlenAllachie spirit, which will account for about 20% of total production. ‘There’s so much you can do with peated spirit. It can take big wood – it can take seriously big wood, if it’s any good. But it’ll take four or five years before we’ll release any of it.’

Production has not only been tweaked, but also slowed down. For the last few years, GlenAllachie had been operating at full capacity, producing around four million litres of pure alcohol a year. Now it sits comfortably at 800,000 litres as the staff get to know the distillery.

But the deal with Chivas didn’t just cover the distillery and its stocks. Part of the package included the MacNair’s and White Heather blended whisky brands. These will play a vital role in Walker’s plans, as he wants to find a way to make blended whisky engaging and trendy again.

MacNair’s will be relaunched as a richly peated blended malt, with 21-year-old and 12-year-old releases, as well as a non-age statement blend. The MacNair’s range will also include a rum and a 12-year-old blended whisky ‘with a twist’, in Walker’s words.

He adds: ‘We’ll relaunch White Heather as a 21-year-old, which we’ll take into the top end of the market. We’re not interested in high volume, but in quality.’

While the core GlenAllachie range is set for release in June, Walker is far from being a man in a hurry with this, his latest venture in Scotch whisky.

‘I’m very comfortable with where we are with the four core releases. And, as with all our releases, we’ll take them to the market when the quality says we can take them to the market.’

BATCH 142: GLENALLACHIE SINGLE CASKS

April 2018

We focus on only one distillery this week as Dave Broom tastes his way through the six-strong single cask single malt releases from the ‘new’ GlenAllachie. The capitalised ‘A’ in the middle of the name gives a clue to the distillery’s new owner: Billy Walker, previously of BenRiach (and indeed GlenDronach).

Walker bought the distillery from Chivas Brothers last year and, in doing so, set about transforming GlenAllachie from a little-known distillery producing fillings for blends such as Passport and 100 Pipers, into a quality-oriented single malt in its own right.

A core range is set to launch in June but, while we wait for that, there is this initial release of six single cask single malts – spanning the years 1978 to 1991, with two each from 1989 and 1990 in the middle.

Are they any good? The simple answer is yes, but you’ll have to read Broom’s detailed notes for the full story on six whiskies that encompass quite a range of flavours and styles. Broom’s conclusion: ‘A fascinating journey,’ he says. ‘I reckon that Billy Walker’s done it again.’

This week’s accompanying Spotify playlist uses a single artist to provide the musical backdrop to this single distillery batch. Click on the links in ‘Right Place, Right Time’ for the soundtrack.

GlenAllachie 1991, 26 Years Old,

Cask #100285

GlenAllachie 1990, 27 Years Old,

Cask #2515

GlenAllachie 1990, 27 Years Old,

Cask #2517

GlenAllachie 1989, 28 Years Old,

Cask #986

GlenAllachie 1989, 28 Years Old,

Cask #2587

GlenAllachie 1978, 39 Years Old,

Cask #10296

GLENALLACHIE 1991,

26 YEARS OLD, CASK #100285

SCORE

55%

PRODUCTION TYPE

Single malt whisky

REGION

Speyside

FLAVOUR CAMP

Fragrant & Floral

NOSE

Slightly sharp with some nose burn, then dry grass and, in time, the sweetness of flapjack and the start of a softer, richer, dark fruitiness accompanied by fresh-sawn wood. Water brings out a more juicy, citric edge, along with more overt cask elements; soft runny caramel, a touch of nutty cereal and fresh-ploughed field.

PALATE

While there’s still some heat, there’s also a soft butterscotch/tablet element which adds flavour but, more significantly, texture, which rounds off the palate. Everything seems light and fresh aromatically speaking but with this smoothed solidity and, while things do dry a little in the centre, everything is resolved on the end where there’s this fruity/floral thing going on. It does need water, which gives all of these elements another boost – and better cohesion. Now there’s blue fruit fragrance, especially on the back palate and, in time, hints of char.

FINISH

Vanilla, nuts, then a bright, almost effervescent spiciness.

CONCLUSION

From a hoggie, this is a fresh and easy-going introduction to a little-known distillery.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

One distillery, so one artist. Gentle, but with heft. It has to be John Martyn. Or, in this case, John The Baptist…

GLENALLACHIE 1990,

27 YEARS OLD, CASK #2515

SCORE

ABV

44.9%

PRODUCTION TYPE

Single malt whisky

REGION

Speyside

FLAVOUR CAMP

Fruity & Spicy

NOSE

Although this is from a butt, there is a grassy element which nods politely towards the 1991 (there’s a touch of cow gum as well). As well as having plumped-up dried fruits, there’s a freshness which comes across as a mix of Moscato grapes and lemon zest. Water brings out some bakery notes, a chalk dust element and more fruit.

PALATE

A floury start and a mellow delivery, with slightly peachy fruits mixing with meadow hay and the sensation of chaff and pollen in the summer haze. There’s some orange peel in the mid-palate before it starts to deepen into hazelnut chocolate and sultana. I’d leave it neat as there’s no real heat, and it steadily develops a soft, chewy, fruity subtlety.

FINISH

Red liquorice.

CONCLUSION

A mix of the dry, the bright and the rich. A mid-point. The lower strength adds a mellowness.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

Chilled and relaxed. One World.

GLENALLACHIE 1990,

27 YEARS OLD, CASK #2517

SCORE

ABV

54.6%

PRODUCTION TYPE

Single malt whisky

REGION

Speyside

FLAVOUR CAMP

Fruity & Spicy

NOSE

Freshly-made gingerbread with raisin, prune and chocolate that, like #2515, also throws out ripe fruits and spice, in this case blueberry juice and clove, then comes bread-and-butter pudding (with the bread element the key). Becomes more obviously oxidised with water, with some yeastiness, barley sugar sweets (forgotten in the pocket) and, this being GlenAllachie, an estery lift of fresh banana and pineapple.

PALATE

A very soft, if concentrated, start with a balanced Sherry character and an almost smoky effect mid-palate, where there’s some light tannins and then, according to form, out come those blue and black fruits (now mostly dried) on the back palate with added chocolate. Water introduces a freshness to balance this power, as well as filling out the mid-palate.

FINISH

Rich, sweet fruit and clove on the finish.

CONCLUSION

Another butt, but with more weight and richness. You begin to see themes emerge and how time and cask play variations on those.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

This Goes Down Easy.

GLENALLACHIE 1989,

28 YEARS OLD, CASK #986

SCORE

57.7%

PRODUCTION TYPE

Single malt whisky

REGION

Speyside

FLAVOUR CAMP

Rich & Round

NOSE

Rumbustious Sherry cask character, which mixes those blue fruits with some bodega funkiness: that lovely (well, I love it) cheese rind element, old Serrano ham with fruit, leather, prune and hints of nuttiness, which comes across as chestnut purée. Big, certainly, but balanced with Sherry-soaked wood and, with water, Christmas cake, bruised plum, sultana and apple.

PALATE

Broad and heavily Sherried, this is the weightiest so far, with a mix of Sherry, inky newsprint and coffee grounds on the tip of the tongue, some coal-like dustiness and liquorice in the middle, then those dark, aromatic plums and blueberries on the end. Rich and layered, it holds water well, bringing out Bourbon biscuits, resin and a slight oiliness before the estery brightness (grilled pineapple) adds lift. Flirts with sulphur.

FINISH

Dried peel and dark fruits.

CONCLUSION

One for the Sherry lovers.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

Deep and powerful. I’d Rather be the Devil.

GLENALLACHIE 1989,

28 YEARS OLD, CASK #2587

SCORE

ABV

45.4%

PRODUCTION TYPE

Single malt whisky

REGION

Speyside

FLAVOUR CAMP

Fruity & Spicy

NOSE

Initially, this is softer, slightly shyer than #986 (which might be partly down to the lower strength). There’s a shared sultana element, but more overt citrus elements, while the fruitiness moves towards pomegranate molasses and scented candles. It steadily grows in assurance, becoming a polished mix of dried orchard fruit, macadamia, orange peel.

PALATE

A very soft start, with a gentle mid-palate. There’s great flow and a sense of a softening maturity, with waxy fruit that expands with water, which adds in cocoa powder, subtle tannins, then cherry and cinnamon tea, and some raisin.

FINISH

Drying initially, then the fruits.

CONCLUSION

You need to work a little at this one, but it is rewarding.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

A soft, slow builder once you get your head around it. As warm and fuzzy as a Big Muff.

GLENALLACHIE 1978,

39 YEARS OLD, CASK #10296

SCORE

ABV

55.9%

PRODUCTION TYPE

Single malt whisky

REGION

Speyside

FLAVOUR CAMP

Rich & Round

NOSE

Now here’s odd. It opens with this note which I sometimes get with an old whisky of the air inside an empty cupboard, a ghostly aroma of the smell of time lost. Then, like many of its kind, it begins to fill in. There’s some cold Darjeeling tea, then aromatic woods, resin, some sweet, raisined fruits, a little beeswax and then a needling, bone-dry oloroso element which will thrill true Sherry lovers. In time you pick out spent cigar, rum-and-raisin, and chocolate. At its best neat.

PALATE

Sweet, with a heavy concentration of fruit, but that light airiness is still evident even after all this time (and the attentions of a Sherry butt). The tannins are more grippy, but there’s some dried mint and oregano, then date and pruney richness.

FINISH

Coffee grounds.

CONCLUSION

Everything eventually is concentrated into an essence. A fascinating journey. I reckon that Billy Walker’s done it again.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

That Billy Walker, He’s Got All the Whisky.

GLENALLACHIE CORE RANGE REVEALED

July 2018

Speyside distillery GlenAllachie has unveiled its first core range of single malt whiskies following its acquisition by a consortium led by ex-BenRiach owner Billy Walker.

GlenAllachie core range bottles and cartons

First foray: Until now, GlenAllachie has been rarely seen as a single malt

A flagship 12-year-old expression, described by Walker as ‘the heart of our range’, is flanked by a 10-year-old bottled at cask strength, plus 18-year-old and 25-year-old variants, with ex-Sherry and virgin oak casks featuring strongly in the maturation regime.

The launch of a permanent core range follows the release of six single cask GlenAllachies in March this year, and the acquisition of GlenAllachie by Walker, plus business partners Trisha Savage and Graham Stevenson, from Pernod Ricard, in October 2017.

The new GlenAllachie core range includes:

GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength: 57.1% abv; matured in American oak, Pedro Ximénez, oloroso and virgin oak casks; said to taste of ‘honey, vanilla, toffee, marmalade, with a layer of rose hip and Caribbean spices’; £57

GlenAllachie 12 Year Old: 46% abv; Pedro Ximénez, oloroso and virgin oak; ‘sweet butterscotch notes on the nose, and a taste of honey, marzipan and bananas, plus further lashings of butterscotch’; £43

GlenAllachie 18 Year Old: 46% abv; no details of maturation given; ‘a combination of rich and robust spirit, with heather and butterscotch notes, along with subtle hints of dark chocolate’; £92

GlenAllachie 25 Year Old: 48% abv; Pedro Ximénez, oloroso and American oak casks; ‘lashings of sultanas, pineapples and dark chocolate, followed by layers of Christmas cake, marmalade and sweet spices’; £232

‘The first release of our GlenAllachie core range has been a culmination of months of hard work and a passion to turn GlenAllachie into a very popular and much sought-after single malt whisky,’ said Walker.

‘The range of casks we have warehoused is tremendous, with nearly 50,000 maturing at our distillery, some of which date back to the 1970s.’

All the whiskies are bottled at natural colour and without chill filtration, while bottle labels include the words ‘From the valley of the rocks’, a translation of GlenAllachie’s original Gaelic name Gleann Aileachaidh.

The new GlenAllachie core range will be available from July in more than 28 countries, including the UK, US, Germany, Taiwan, China and France.

Since the acquisition, distillery buildings have been converted to dunnage warehousing, bringing the total number of on-site warehouses to 16, with another two due for construction, along with a bottling line.

Walker is yet to reveal full details of his plans for the MacNair’s and White Heather blended whisky brands, also acquired from Chivas Brothers with GlenAllachie.

De nieuwe distilleerderij van Billy Walker, The GlenAllachie Distillery, heeft onlangs de core range gelanceerd. Een fantastische reeks single malt whisky’s waarbij de kwaliteit

buiten kijf staat. Voor

109551 GLENALLACHIE 10 year old Cask

Strength 57,1% 0,70ltr

109552 GLENALLACHIE 12 year old

Single Malt Whisky 0,70ltr

109561 GLENALLACHIE 18 year old

Single Malt Whisky 0,70ltr

109564 GLENALLACHIE 25 year old

Single Malt Whisky 0,70ltr

Speyside is home to so many wonderful whiskies, but we want to tell you what makes our hidden gem so special.

We’re on a journey to create a legacy of our own, why don’t you join us?

1967

The GlenAllachie Distillery was

the fourth distillery designed by

William-Delme Evans and built by

MacKinley McPherson (distilling arm of

Scottish and Newcastle). It was designed

to be almost full gravity fed to run on

reduced energy.

1968

In February 1968, the distillery began

its first production run with the capacity

of producing almost three million litres

of alcohol. Operations began with two

stills and increased to four after just

six months.

1985

MacKinley McPherson became part of

Invergordon and the distillery was

mothballed in this year.

1989

Campbell Distillers

(later part of Pernod Ricard) acquired

The GlenAllachie Distillery and production

recommenced on April 24th – this was

the start of 29 years of uninterrupted

production. The Distillery was branded

as the Home of Clan Campbell Whisky.

Apparently the inventory of the Distillery

listed the ducks in the waters above the

dam.

2005

Chivas Brothers launched a Glenallachie

single malt whisky as part of the Cask

Edition Series. It was a 15 year old whisky

from sherry casks distilled in 1989 when

the distillery was bought and reopened by

Pernod Ricard.

2017

Billy Walker, Trisha Savage and Graham

Stevenson came together to acquire the

GlenAllachie Distillery and form

The GlenAllachie Distillers Company Limited,

bringing with them over 100 years of industry

knowledge and expertise.

2018

In February this year, six single casks were

hand picked by Master Distiller Billy Walker

to celebrate 50 years since the first date of

production in February 1968.

2018

In July this year, our first core range of single

malt whiskies were released to the world.

The range features a 10, 12, 18 and 25 years

old, all natural colour, non-chill-filtered and

bottled at a minimum of 46% ABV

When we purchased GlenAllachie just over a

year ago, we were lucky enough to acquire

the MacNair's brand. We're continuing our first

anniversary celebrations with the launch of

MacNair's Lum Reek, a range of peated

Blended Malt Scotch whiskies that revive a

traditional brand with a contemporary twist.

The MacNair’s Lum Reek range, which comprises Lum Reek peated, 12-year-old and 21-year-old, is a combination of Islay and Speyside malt blended together with older GlenAllachie. It has been matured at The GlenAllachie Distillery and vatted by our Master Distiller Billy Walker, one of the most respected blenders in Scotland. All are bottled at natural colour, non-chill filtered and 46% ABV and above.

The new Lum Reek peated whiskies are inspired by the famous Scottish toast ‘lang may yer lum reek’, which literally means ‘long may your chimney smoke’ and is used to wish someone a long life and prosperity. The whiskies are also inspired by the creative spirit of Glaswegian expert distiller and blender, Harvey MacNair who founded the original company in 1837.

MacNair's Lum Reek

Peated - 46%

This is the perfect introduction into the

Lum Reek range;

Master Distiller Billy Walker has combined

whiskies matured in first fill Bourbon,

Oloroso, Virgin Oak and Red Wine casks to

produce this rich golden spirit.

COLOUR: Rich Gold

NOSE: Crisp peat notes with barley sugar and dark chocolate.

TASTE: Full bodied peat reek, vanilla, barley sugar and tannins, followed by bog myrtle and sweet spices.

MacNair's Lum Reek

Peated 12 Years Old - 46%

The Lum Reek 12 years old reflects Billy Walker’s vast experience as a blender and his expert knowledge of wood management. Whiskies from first fill Bourbon, Red Wine and Pedro Ximenez casks were blended together to produce this smoky malt.

COLOUR: Copper Bronze.

NOSE: Sweet peat reek combining with butterscotch and mocha.

TASTE: Lashings of rich peat reek with mature heather notes, bog myrtle, butterscotch, toffee and sweet spices.

MacNair's Lum Reek

Peated 21 Years Old - 48%

A blend of some of the finest Islay and Speyside peated malts combined with richer, older GlenAllachie, the Lum Reek 21 years old was aged in Oloroso, Virgin Oak and Red Wine casks. Billy Walker has successfully recreated the peated whiskies of 100 years ago for the modern-day palette.

COLOUR: Butterscotch.

NOSE: Aristocratic peat smoke with dark chocolate and fudge.

TASTE: Tobacco, leather, cedar wood and waves of peat reek with oodles of cocoa, vanilla, honey and spices.

"I’m a passionate believer in the qualities of Blended Malt Scotch whisky; if you have high quality component whiskies, as we fortunately do, and combine them with a first-class wood management policy and a creative spirit, you can produce a dram to rival the very best single malts.”

- Billy Walker, Master Distiller -

THE STORY

Ne’er happier than when exploring the globe or the spirit from the golden still, Harvey McNair was – in the parlance of his native Glasgow – a man or ‘lad o’pairts’: a true Victorian entrepreneur. A trader, thereby a traveller, an inventor of all sorts of mechanical contraptions, his genius lay in the blending of fine whiskies. He loved and championed the natural, unadulterated colour of whisky. “Pure gold’ he said with a wink.

AFFINITY

Bon viveur and raconteur, he cut a dash about town and had a bursting social calendar. His best stories were always ‘agin hisself’, like how his neighbours thought him an alchemist or, indeed, how he discovered Lum Reek. But he knew a good dram when he blended it, or indeed stumbled across it. Just like our own 21st Century Whisky legend Billy Walker, who has recreated and refined the Lum Reek blend for the modern palette.

SERENDIPITY

One autumn evening in the 1860s, after a day’s fishing, our man was quaffing a dram in the old stone bothy near GlenAllachie. Due to a blocked chimney (or lum) the room filled with smoke. It had “a marvellous effect on the whisky in my glass,” confided McNair later to his merchant cronies. “Indeed, perfection!” Ne’er a truer word was spoken.

LUM REEK

Today’s Lum Reek is the creation of our Master Blender Billy Walker, raising his hat to the top hatted Victorian. It’s a heavily peated malt, marrying Islay & Speyside whiskies with rich GlenAllachie, to extend the flavour profile. Lum Reek is matured in GlenAllachie’s warehouses, then bottled at 46% (and above), unchilfiltered, allowing its natural colour to shine like those golden autumns Harvey MacNair enjoyed, decked out in his waders.s

FIRST BATCH OF SINGLE CASKS RELEASED

November 2018

Whisky fans in the UK and worldwide can now explore the full spectrum of spirit being created at The GlenAllachie Distillery with the release of a series of Single Cask Editions, its first batches of single casks specially selected for different markets and retailers.

Master Distiller Billy Walker has personally chosen a selection of casks that showcase the GlenAllachie spirit in a variety of different ages, flavour profiles and cask types. Eight of the specially selected Single Casks will be available exclusively in the UK, with the remainder being released across key export markets including Europe, Asia and the USA.

THE EIGHT UK CASKS

Ranging in age from 10 to 29 years old, eight Single Casks have been specially selected for the UK by Walker, who bought the distillery near Aberlour in Speyside with his business partners Graham Stevenson and Trisha Savage, in October 2017. Each of the single casks is bottled at natural strength, with no added colouring and unchilfiltered to enhance the flavour.

The following eight single casks are available exclusively in the UK from specialist retailers

1989 cask # 100073 / 60.1% / Sherry Butt

Colour: Rich Mahogany

Nose: Heather honey and mocha enriched with hints of sweet spices, pears and mint.

Taste: Dark chocolate, toffee and bananas with sweet spices and hints of orange zest and mocha.

1989 cask # 101040 / 54.7% / Hogshead

Colour: Very Rich Mahogany

Nose: Pineapples, bananas, heather honey and dark chocolate.

Taste: Lashings of bananas, dates, damsons, heather honey with cinnamon and dark chocolate.

1990 cask # 620 / 60.7% / Bourbon Barrel

Colour: Golden Bronze

Nose: Mix of heather honey, pears and orange peel with hint of mocha

Taste: Lashings of heather honey, with pears, rosehips, orange peel and hints of dark chocolate.

2005 cask # 16095 / 59.4% / Bourbon Barrel

Colour: Golden

Nose: Orange zest, with blackberries, mocha and hint of mint.

Taste: Big heather honey, blackberries, damsons and orange peel with hint of dark chocolate.

2006 cask # 27979 / 62.4% / Bourbon Barrel

Colour: Golden

Nose: Green apples, heather, honey and vanilla.

Taste: Lashings of heather honey, damsons and rose hips.

2006 cask # 896 / 61.7% / Virgin Oak Barrel

Colour: Rich Bronze

Nose: Heather honey and butterscotch with blackberries.

Taste: Big presence of heather honey, butterscotch and damsons, with hints of orange zest and mocha.

2007 cask # 1856 / 60.0% / Port Pipe

Colour: Rich Ruby

Nose: Fresh orange peel, layered with figs, cocoa and sweet spices.

Taste: Lashings of heather honey, cocoa, Christmas cake and orange zest, with sweet spices.

2008 cask # 24829 / 60.1% / Bourbon Barrel

Colour: Golden Bronze

Nose: Candy floss with dark chocolate, rosehips and mint.

Taste: Honey and butterscotch, with damsons, dark chocolate and light tannins.

HUGE RANGE OF CASKS AND FLAVOURS

In the past, GlenAllachie, which was built in 1968, was primarily producing whisky for blends. But Walker has been meticulously exploring the distillery’s stocks to hand-pick casks reflecting the spectrum of spirit being created.

He said: “When we purchased GlenAllachie, I had the great pleasure of reviewing our stock across the warehouses and I was delighted to discover an array of outstanding casks.

“I’ve been in this business for a long time and there’s no better feeling than sampling from single casks and discovering so many different flavours from so many different wood types,

“The distillery produces a rich full bodied spirit which works well across a variety of different casks and ages, this is what I wanted to show with the batch of casks I’ve chosen for the UK and our export partners. With over 50,000 casks of GlenAllachie now in stock maturing across a vast range of wood styles, there is so much more to come.”

GLENALLACHIE LAUNCHES SINGLE CASK SERIES

November 2018

GlenAllachie is releasing a series of single cask whiskies, with different limited ranges available in various markets.

GlenAllachie 1989 Cask #100073 from the single cask series

Full-bodied spirit: GlenAllachie 1989 Cask #100073 has notes of ‘dark chocolate, toffee and bananas’

Ranging from 10 to 29 years old, the single cask whiskies have been matured in a variety of different casks, including Sherry butts, Port pipes and virgin American oak.

Eight will be released in the UK in October, at the same time as a further seven which will be available exclusively in Europe.

Further collections will be released ‘in due course’ in Asia and the US. Each release will be bottled at natural cask strength without chill filtration or added colour.

Billy Walker, who bought the Speyside distillery with his business partners Graham Stevenson and Trisha Savage in 2017, said GlenAllachie’s ‘rich, full-bodied spirit works well’ across different cask types and ages.

‘This is what I wanted to show with the batch of casks I’ve chosen for the UK and our export partners,’ he said.

‘I’ve been in this business for a long time and there’s no better feeling than sampling from single casks and discovering so many different flavours from so many different wood types.

‘With over 50,000 casks of GlenAllachie now in stock maturing across a vast range of casks there is so much more to come.’

The single cask series follows the launch of an initial batch of six limited edition single cask bottlings released to mark 50 years since GlenAllachie’s opening in 1968.

Since then the distillery has also released its flagship single malt range and relaunched the historic MacNair’s blended malt brand.

The eight single cask whiskies

released in the UK include:

GlenAllachie 1989, 29 Year Old,

Cask #100073 (Sherry butt),

60.1% abv, £300

GlenAllachie 1989, 28 Year Old,

Cask #101040 (hogshead),

54.7% abv, £275

GlenAllachie 1990, 28 Year Old,

Cask #620 (Bourbon barrel),

60.7% abv, 275

GlenAllachie 2005, 13 Year Old,

Cask #16095 (Bourbon barrel),

59.4% abv, £85

GlenAllachie 2006, 12 Year Old,

Cask #27979 (Bourbon barrel),

62.4% abv, £79

GlenAllachie 2006, 12 Year Old,

Cask #896 (virgin barrel),

61.7% abv, £75

GlenAllachie 2007, 11 Year Old,

Cask #1856 (Port pipe),

60% abv, £75

GlenAllachie 2008, 10 Year Old,

Cask #24829 (Bourbon barrel),

60.1% abv, £71

The seven single cask whiskies

released in Europe include:

GlenAllachie 1989, 29 Year Old,

Cask #100049 (Sherry butt), 58.1% abv

GlenAllachie 1989, 28 Year Old,

Cask #101217 (hogshead), 45.8% abv

GlenAllachie 2006, 12 Year Old,

Cask #27977 (Bourbon barrel), 61.4% abv

GlenAllachie 1990, 28 Year Old,

Cask #1468 (virgin barrel), 54.1% abv

GlenAllachie 2008, 9 Year Old,

Cask #569 (Port pipe), 54.8% abv

GlenAllachie 2008, 9 Year Old,

Cask #471 (virgin barrel), 58.3% abv

GlenAllachie 2006, 12 Year Old,

Cask #936 (PX puncheon), 61.4% abv

GLENALLACHIE UNVEILS NEW VISITOR CENTRE

May 2019

GlenAllachie has celebrated the 2019 Spirit of Speyside Festival (1-6 May) with the launch of its new visitor centre and shop.

Entrance to GlenAllachie Distillery

Grand reveal: GlenAllachie opened its visitor centre on the first day of the Spirit of Speyside festival

The Speyside distillery is now open to visitors for the first time since it was built in 1967.

GlenAllachie’s previous owner, spirits company Pernod Ricard, kept the distillery closed to the public and used its whisky primarily for blending.

The new visitor centre offers tours and contains a shop selling branded merchandise and two distillery-exclusive single cask whiskies: 12-year-old and 29-year-old expressions, both hand-selected by GlenAllachie owner Billy Walker.

Visitors can also hand-fill their own bottle of whisky straight from the cask in the shop.

GlenAllachie marked the opening of its new facilities with the launch of an exclusive Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival bottling, a Port pipe-matured 13-year-old.

GlenAllachie’s visitor centre manager Karen McWilliam, who previously worked at Highland distillery GlenDronach, said it was ‘a historic and exciting time’ for everyone.

McWilliam commented: ‘For a long time, the distillery has been one of Speyside’s best-kept secrets, but now we’re creating our own history with our single malts and the gates are open to everyone.’

The visitor centre opening is a significant milestone for GlenAllachie, which was acquired by former BenRiach managing director Billy Walker in June 2017.

Walker has since focused on launching GlenAllachie as a single malt whisky and refurbishing the distillery.

The GlenAllachie Core Range is Growing

We are extending our multi award-winning core range of single malt whiskies to include a 15-year-old expression!

The new GlenAllachie 15 year old, which is now being rolled out across UK and international markets, is described by Master Distiller Billy Walker as the perfect representation of the distillery’s DNA. He believes the 15 year old is an exceptional balance of the distillery’s spirit and the influence of the Sherry casks used during maturation.

Two types of Sherry casks – Pedro Ximenez (PX) and Oloroso puncheons and hogsheads – were used during maturation. They were chosen to deliver depth and finish to the whisky, and to add notes that enhance the distinctive butterscotch and chocolate flavours of The GlenAllachie spirit.

Walker said: "I've been working on our 15 year old release since we acquired GlenAllachie back in October 2017. In that time I've been intimately following the development of the various casks and I believe the 15 year old is the perfect balance of distillery and cask influence."

He added: “For this 15 year old, I chose PX and Oloroso puncheons and hogsheads to deliver complete depth and finish. This whisky is rich in sweet spices, raisins and butterscotch, with waves of banana, orange peel and dark chocolate. The extra years the whisky spent maturing in the sherry wood casks extends the flavour further.

“I’m delighted to add this to our core range, it absolutely represents the DNA and personality of The GlenAllachie now and going forward. We work with a variety of casks although as we move forward you will see sherry wood influence coming to the fore.”

The GlenAllachie 15 year old (RRP £62.99, bottled at 46%) joins the 10 year old Cask Strength; 12 year old; 18 year old; and 25 year old in The GlenAllachie’s core range which was first launched in 2018.

GlenAllachie 15 Year Old

Colour - Sunset Bronze.

Nose - Overflowing with raisins,

butterscotch and sweet spices

Taste - The rainbow of sweet

spices, raisins and butterscotch

develops to banana, orange peel and dark chocolate.

The introduction of the 15 year old to the core range is another major milestone for us since purchasing GlenAllachie back in 2017.

In July, we revealed our first Wood Finish range, which comprises three expressions, and in May we unveiled the visitor centre and shop, welcoming visitors to the distillery for the first time since it was built in 1967.

In 2018, we also released a series of single cask whiskies, launched the MacNair’s Lum Reek range of peated Blended Malts, and a 50th Anniversary bottling to mark the 50th anniversary of the distillery’s maiden production run on February 17th 1968.

Along the way, our whisky has been recognised with many awards including four Gold medals for the GlenAllachie 10 year old; a Gold for the 12 year old at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition; and a Double Gold medal for the 18 year old, also at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The MacNair’s Lum Reek range has also earned several awards since its launch, including a Double Gold for the 21 year old at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

The GlenAllachie Marks Milestone by Launching Limited Edition Releases

Two years to the day since we acquired the GlenAllachie Distillery, we are delighted to launch Batch 3 of our Cask Strength series, and a new collection of five UK exclusive single casks.

GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 3

After two successful sell-out batches, we are pleased to present Batch 3 of the GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength - bottled at 58.2%, unchilfiltered and with no added colouring. This expression has been matured in Speyside in 1st and 2nd fill Bourbon, PX Puncheon, Oloroso Hogshead and Virgin Oak and is a limited release, with only 3500 cases available worldwide

Single Casks Exclusive to the UK

The batch of five GlenAllachie single casks available exclusively in the UK have been hand selected by Billy Walker from among the 50,000 casks maturing on site.

Each single cask release demonstrates the exceptional casks to be found in GlenAllachie's warehouses and Walker's meticulour approach to wood management, which sees him use his experience and expertise to steer the unique interaction of wood, spirit and subsequent flavour development.

All bottled unchilfiltered and natural colour, the Batch comprises:

Glenallchie 2008 Cask #586 -

57.3%, 10yo

Marsala Hogshead. 283 bottles available.

Glenallachie 2007 Cask #3767 -

60.8%, 12yo

Madeira Hogshead. 289 bottles available.

Glenallachie 2006 Cask #6580 -

60.1%, 13yo

PX Hogshead. 323 bottles available.

Glenallachie 2004 Cask #6213 -

56.7%, 15yo

Oloroso Puncheon. 354 bottles available.

Glenallachie 2001 Cask #4152 -

55.1%, 18yo

PX Hogshead. 307 bottles available.

The new releases come at a momentous time for our distillery as we celebrate our second anniversary since acquiring the GlenAllachie Distillery in October 2017. In our first two years, we have increased our staff count from 7-22, unlocked our distillery doors to the public with the opening of our visitor centre in May 2019, and successfully launched numerous multi award-winning whiskies, including the GlenAllachie Core Range and MacNair's Lum Reek Blended Malt Scotch.

We're thrilled that our hard work has been recognised with our most recent award being named Scottish Whisky Distillery of the year 2019.

Walker said: "It's an incredibly exciting time for The GlenAllachie. A lot has happened and changed since we took over exactly two years ago - from opening our new visitor centre to winning the Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year award last month.

"One thing that hasn't changed however is our dedication to selecting the finest casks from the stocks we're fortunate to have in our warehouses and using our passion for wood management to bring whisky fans truly exceptional releases".

Introducing The Virgin Oak Series

"I wanted to put good whisky in spectacular types of wood, wood with real history and unique characteristics"

We are delighted to reveal our latest innovative releases - our Virgin Oak Series. Expertly created by our Master Distiller, Billy Walker, the range includes three 12-year-old expressions with their own distinctive characteristics imparted by a unique oak species.

Each whisky in the series was first matured in American Oak Ex-Bourbon Barrels followed by additional maturation for approximately 18 months in specially selected Virgin Oak casks sourced from around the world. The expressions are offered at natural colour, non chill filtered, and at a strength of 48%, limited to around 1,100 cases of each.

Discover the Virgin Oak Series below...

Chinquapin Virgin Oak

Aged 12 Years

Colour - Rich Bronze Sunrise

Nose - Waves of heather honey, butterscotch and orange zest, fused with nutmeg and liquorice

Taste - Layers of heather honey, barley sugar, toasted biscuit and orange zest, followed by cinnamon, rosehips and liquorice

Spanish Virgin Oak

Aged 12 Years

Colour - Rich Bronze

Nose - Waves of honey, coconut and treacle, followed by orange zest and cinnamon

Taste - Layers of heather honey, treacle, coconut and orange zest, fused with mocha, nutmeg and cinnamon

French Virgin Oak

Aged 12 Years

Colour - Rich Bronze

Nose - Waves of honey, toffee, mocha, orange zest and nutmeg

Taste - Heather honey, toffee and butterscotch, with layers of mocha, cinnamon, grapefruit, and a hint of earthy tannins

The GlenAllachie

30-Year-Old

The GlenAllachie 30-year-old Cask Strength single malt is the latest creation from world- renowned Master Distiller, Billy Walker.

We are delighted to unveil the launch of our oldest and most prestigious core offering yet: The GlenAllachie 30-year-old Cask Strength Batch 1 Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

To craft this unique spirit, Billy hand-selected a batch of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso hogsheads and puncheons, as well as a small quantity of Chinquapin Virgin Oak casks.

Bottled at cask strength of 48.9%, non chilfiltered and natural colour, this annual small batch release truly showcases GlenAllachie in its purest form, the perfect unison of cask and distillery character.

The GlenAllachie 30-Year-Old

Cask Strength Batch 1

Our 30-year-old expression delivers bold sherry-matured sophistication; notes of fruit cake and dark chocolate fused with classic GlenAllachie honeyed charm.

Billy, who next year reaches his 50th year in the industry, had this to say about the historic release:

"I always had an ambition to create a memorable 30-year-old expression, presented at natural cask strength, that would truly blow away whisky connoisseurs across the globe. It's a small-batch single malt that undoubtedly captures everything I've learned along the way in my career, and thus is a bottling I'm particularly proud to release."

The owners of Glenallachie fill the new make into casks at three different sytenghts to achieve different flavour profiles: 63,5 5, 68 % and 72 %.

Two washbacks came from Caperdonich distillery and are now converted in to low wine and feints vessels. The fermentation time is extreme long 160 hours and only

100.000 ltrs of peated malt is produced a year.

GlenAllachie is een Schotse Malt Whisky Distillery gelegen te Aberlour in de Speyside regio, welke in 1967 is opgericht. De succesvolle whisky-ondernemer Billy Walker, nam in juli 2017 de toen nog vrij onbekende GlenAllachie Distillery over van Pernod Ricard, inclusief de voorraden. De distilleerderij vlakbij Aberlour in de Speyside regio, maakte tot dan toe vrij grote hoeveelheden whisky. Deze werden gebruikt als onderdeel van verschillende blends van Chivas Brothers.

En daar wilden Walker en zijn ervaren partners Graham Stevenson en Trisha Savage verandering in brengen. Zij wilden zelf single malt whisky’s gaan bottelen en produceren, en zo een eigen onafhankelijke, uitzonderlijke whiskyonderneming opbouwen. Bij elkaar hebben de drie eigenaren meer dan honderd jaar ervaring in de whisky-industrie. Zowel de 73-jarige Walker – onder meer voormalig Master Distiller en eigenaar van The BenRiach Company – als zijn partners Savage en Stevenson zijn de pensioengerechtigde leeftijd al gepasseerd. Maar ze wilden niet van ophouden weten en startten met GlenAllachie een mooi nieuw whisky avontuur in de Speyside-regio.

GlenAllachie Distillery

Vrij vertaald betekent GlenAllachie ‘vallei van stenen’. De jonge en moderne GlenAllachie Distillery ligt op een groot terrein van twintig acre, midden in de Speyside regio direct aan de voet van Ben Rinnis. Het riviertje dat van deze beroemde Schotse berg afstroomt voorziet de distilleerderij van het benodigde water. De distilleerderij is ontworpen door S. Lothian Barclay en de beroemde architect William Delme-Evans. Het hele distilleerderij-complex werd in 1967 gebouwd en heeft, naast de moderne distilleerderij waarin vier distilleerketels staan, meerdere grote warehouses.

Core Range

De core range bestaat uit een 10 jaar oude cask strength botteling en 12-, 18- en 25-jaar oude single malt whisky’s. Het relatief jonge GlenAllachie heeft daarmee gelijk een volwassen range met een hoge kwaliteit. En er zit nog veel meer in het vat en er zullen periodiek single cask bottelingen gelanceerd worden! De verwachting is dan ook dat het merk de komende jaren in Nederland en daarbuiten nog sterk gaat groeien.

NEW: The GlenAllachie

10-Year-Old Batch 6

The wait is over... Batch 6 of our award-winning

10-year-old expression is here.

We are delighted to announce the launch of the latest batch of our acclaimed 10-year-old Cask Strength. With our fourth instalment having scooped the ultimate accolade of the 'World's Best Single Malt' at the World Whiskies Awards 2021, the bar has certainly been set high as we introduce our sixth release.

Our latest instalment was matured in a combination of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry puncheons along with a small quantity of Virgin Oak and Rioja casks, all personally selected by Master Distiller, Billy Walker. The resulting whisky bursts with indulgent notes of sticky honey, warming mocha, orange peel and spicy cinnamon.

Limited to just 6,500 cases worldwide, this expression is presented at 57.8% ABV and has been bottled unchilfiltered for flavour with no added colouring. Discover more about this highly-anticipated bottling below...

GlenAllachie 10 Years Old

Cask Strength, Batch 6

Colour: Rich Mahogany.

Nose: Lashings of heather honey, dark chocolate and mocha, with almonds, cinnamon and orange peel.

Taste: Waves of dark chocolate, treacle, mocha, heather honey and almonds, fused with cinnamon, marmalade and grapefruit.

Commenting on this latest batch release, Billy revealed, “The delicious whisky we bottle as our 10-year-old Cask Strength really is testament to our wonderful team and the excellent wood we source. Like all previous batches, I know this batch won’t disappoint!”

PRESENTING:

The GlenAllachie

21-Year-Old Batch 2

The highly anticipated next instalment of our 21-year-old expression has arrived...

We are delighted to launch Batch Two of the long-awaited GlenAllachie 21-year-old Cask Strength Single Malt. To craft this unique spirit, Billy married together a selection of vintages from across 1997 to 1999 resulting in an exceptional expression that delivers bold sherry-matured sophistication.

Bottled at cask strength of 51.1%, non chilfiltered and natural colour, this annual small-batch release is limited to just 1,600 bottles worldwide. Delivering notes of sticky raisins, rich mocha and sweet spices, alongside classic GlenAllachie honeyed charm, this release truly is the perfect unison of cask and distillery character.

The GlenAllachie 21-Year-Old

Cask Strength Batch 2

Colour: Rich Mahogany.

Nose: Lashings of cocoa, heather honey and orange peel, with notes of cinnamon, mocha and fruit cake.

Taste: A fusion of fruit cake, treacle and heather honey, followed by layers of orange peel, stewed fruits and dark chocolate, with ginger and orange zest on the finish.

Billy, who is fiercely passionate about wood management, revealed that: "We are lucky enough to have access to truly outstanding Spanish Sherry wood, and these Pedro Ximénez puncheons and hogsheads have been genuine standouts. The culmination of the five casks I have selected here is an intense and intriguing Single Malt full of rich mocha, tangy orange and ginger biscuits”.

MEET BATCH 7:

The GlenAllachie

10-Year-Old

The next instalment of our coveted 10-year-old expression is here...

Launching today, Batch 7 follows acclaimed previous batches; most notably the fourth instalment which received the ultimate accolade of World's Best Single Malt (World Whiskies Awards, 2021). Guided by his half-century of experience as a blender, Billy specially selected and blended a combination of PX and Oloroso sherry puncheons, Rioja barriques and a quantity of virgin oak to craft this rich mahogany spirit.

This limited small-batch release is presented at cask strength of 56.8%, unchilfiltered and with no colour added. Abundant with rich mocha, stewed plums, heather honey and sweet spices, this decade-old expression delivers a truly exquisite drinking experience.

The GlenAllachie 10-Year-Old

Cask Strength Batch 7

Colour: Rich Mahogany.

Nose: Waves of heather honey, dried fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg, followed by orange peel, mocha and treacle.

Taste: Lashings of dark chocolate, figs and heather honey, with raisins, cinnamon, plums and hints of orange zest.

Billy, who holds widespread acclaim for his hands-on and pioneering approach, comments:

"Every batch we create of our 10-year-old Cask Strength represents the direction in which we are taking The GlenAllachie. From the outset, our defined objective has been to achieve a bold and flavourful yet balanced spirit, predominantly matured in Sherry wood, but with interesting twists introduced by unusual cask types."

TWO NEW WHISKIES JOIN GLENALLACHIE DISTILLERS’ PORTFOLIO

12th April 2022

The GlenAllachie Distillers Company today reveals two new product innovations for its brands’ core ranges: The GlenAllachie 8-year-old Single Malt Scotch Whisky and White Heather 15-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky.

Both products are expertly created by industry stalwart Billy Walker, renowned for his exceptional wood management and blending skills, and who this year celebrates reaching his 50th year in Scotch whisky.

The GlenAllachie Master Distiller Billy Walker Whisky Sampling Tasting

The GlenAllachie 8-year-old (UK RRSP £42.50) marries together spirit aged in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry puncheons, along with virgin oak casks and red wine barriques, each specially selected by Walker.

The GlenAllachie 8-year-old Single Malt Speyside

The Speyside Single Malt offers up the brand’s classic heather honey character, leading to rich notes of stem ginger, mint chocolate and chewy raisins, achieving 92 points at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) 2022.

Looking to follow in the footsteps of highly successful younger releases, such as The GlenAllachie 10-year-old which scooped World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2021, the 8-year-old will be an ongoing, accessibly priced offering within the brand’s core range.

The GlenAllachie 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 4 World's Best Single Malt World Whiskies Awards

White Heather 15-year-old (UK RRSP £59.99) is a premium Blended Scotch containing both peated and unpeated malts from Speyside, Islay and the Northern Highlands along with carefully selected grain whiskies.

The White Heather brand sees Walker return to his roots in the Scotch Whisky industry when he earned his stripes as a blender, developing world-leading products for the global market.

White Heather 15-year-old Blended Scotch

To create the new 15-year-old, the whisky underwent a complex dual maturation system, beginning its life in Sherry butts and American oak barrels, before being skilfully blended by Walker and re-racked into Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry puncheons as well as American virgin oak casks to spend an additional three years.

With a high malt content of 47 per cent, the amber toned liquid scooped Gold with 95 points at the IWSC 2022, being described as “outstanding” by the expert judging panel.

The new expression joins White Heather 21-year-old, first unveiled in March 2021, to form a core range for the premium Blended Scotch brand.

White Heather 21-year-old Blended Scotch

Both GlenAllachie 8-year-old and White Heather 15-year-old are proudly presented at their natural colour, non chill filtered and at a high strength of 46% ABV for maximum flavour.

Commenting on the new products, Walker reveals:

“From the outset, it has been my aim to release quality whiskies at fair and accessible price points. This can be a significant challenge when you also choose to deploy an extensive and costly wood management policy, however, I believe The GlenAllachie 8-year-old fits the bill without any compromises or corner-cutting.

“In terms of White Heather, this has been a real passion project for me. It takes me back to my first forays in the industry and allows me to select and blend whiskies from across Scotland in order to achieve the intended flavour profile. I hold a strong belief that interest in the Premium Blend category is growing, and we very much want to be at the forefront of it with White Heather.”

The GlenAllachie Master Blender Billy Walker Master Distiller

Both The GlenAllachie 8-year-old and White Heather 15-year-old are available on an ongoing basis through global specialist retailers, with UK RRSPs of £42.50 and £59.99 respectively.

TASTING NOTES

The GlenAllachie 8-year-old Single Malt Scotch Whisky – 46% ABV

Colour: Sunset Bronze.

Nose: Heather honey, butterscotch and cinnamon, followed by waves of ginger, toasted almonds and mocha.

Taste: Lashings of treacle, dried sultanas and butterscotch, with cinnamon, peppermint and honeycomb.

White Heather 15-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky – 46% ABV

Colour: Golden Bronze.

Nose: Waves of heather honey and butterscotch, followed by orange peel, pineapple, mint and a hint of peat.

Taste: Layers of treacle, heather honey and butterscotch, followed by orange peel, grapefruit and almonds, with mocha, ginger and a light whisp of peaty smoke on the finish

BILLY WALKER

50TH ANNIVERSARY:

PAST EDITION

The first instalment of a celebratory series unveiled to honour world-renowned Master Distiller Billy Walker's 50-year spell in the industry...

This year Billy celebrates an achievement which few can share... an incredible five decades in the whisky industry. To mark this extraordinary milestone, we present a trilogy of single malts; The GlenAllachie Past, Present and Future Series. Each momentous whisky will represent key moments throughout our Master Distiller's vibrant and highly acclaimed career.

The first instalment is a fully Sherry matured 16-year-old Single Malt, illustrating the role that Billy played in developing the classic heavily-sherried style of whiskies throughout the early 00's. Billy personally selected nine 2005 vintage Spanish Sherry butts to create this sentimental limited-edition release, which is said to be "the archetypal Billy Walker Style".

Exuding opulence and Sherry-matured sophistication, this mahogany malt is proudly presented at cask strength of 51.7% ABV, at natural colour and without chill filtration for maximum flavour.

Discover more about the Past Edition below...

The GlenAllachie Billy Walker 50th Anniversary

Past Edition: 100% Sherry Matured

16-Year-Old

Colour: Deep Mahogany.

Nose: Waves of walnuts, heather honey and subtle dried fruits, followed by bursts of toasted coffee, orange peel and cinnamon sticks.

Taste: Lashings of fig syrup, caramelised muscovado sugar and roasted pine nuts with notes of heather honey, crystalised ginger and dried apricots.

Looking back on his illustrious career, Billy says:

“I’m incredibly lucky to have been involved in the fascinating Scotch Whisky Industry for 50 long years. What a privilege it has been to have worked alongside some truly amazing people, and indeed to have been involved with some world-leading brands.

"The latest adventure is The GlenAllachie Distillery, and without question, we are so very fortunate to be steering this great distillery into the future, introducing its whisky to an ardent international audience.”

The GlenAllachie Billy Walker 50th Anniversary Past Edition is available to purchase through global specialist retailers, with a UK RRSP of £225.

INTRODUCING:

The GlenAllachie

30-Year-Old Batch 2

Unveiling the second instalment of our oldest and most prestigious core release to date...

We are proud to present The GlenAllachie 30-year-old Cask Strength Batch 2 Single Malt. Acclaimed Master Distiller Billy Walker, fuelled by his desire to create a truly exquisite expression from our vintage stocks, drew upon his 50 years of industry experience to craft this deliciously rich mahogany malt.

The embodiment of our uncompromising philosophy and unrushed approach to production, the 30-year-old spirit was crafted from a combination of vintages from 1990 and 1991, each hand-selected by Billy. A marriage of PX and Oloroso hogsheads and puncheons, along with some virgin oak casks, the resulting liquid truly demonstrates Billy's wood management prowess and superlative blending skills.

Proudly presented at cask strength of 50.8%, unchillfiltered and at natural colour, this annual small-batch release is limited to just 2,000 bottles worldwide. Expect elegant notes of Medjool dates, roasted coffee beans and Seville orange, alongside classic GlenAllachie honeyed charm from this opulent and indulgent expression.

The GlenAllachie 30-Year-Old

Cask Strength Batch 2

Colour: Rich Mahogany.

Nose: Bursting with heather honey, sultanas and mocha, followed by waves of cinnamon, coconut shavings and dried fruits.

Taste: Lashings of dark chocolate, figs and orange zest, with hints of treacle, raisins and cinnamon, with nutmeg on the finish.

Commenting on the hotly anticipated release, Billy said:

“We’re delighted to present the second batch of our eldest core release, delivering a bold and complex organoleptic profile truly representative of our house style and where we are taking The GlenAllachie Distillery.”

BILLY WALKER

50TH ANNIVERSARY:

PRESENT EDITION

Unveiling an ultra-rare single malt as The Present Edition in our celebratory trilogy to mark whisky master Billy Walker's half-century long career...

This penultimate release is an extraordinary expression which represents the pioneering wood policy that Billy is implementing at The GlenAllachie Distillery. Driven by his passion for sourcing innovative cask types of the highest quality from across the globe, we are thrilled to unveil The Present Edition as our first-ever Japanese oak-finished whisky: The GlenAllachie 16-year-old Mizunara Virgin Oak Cask Finish.

The spirit began its maturation journey in rich PX and Oloroso Sherry oak, before undergoing secondary aging in virgin Mizunara casks, a scarce and expensive species of Japanese oak. This notoriously temperamental and rare wood type is scarcely used for whisky maturation due to the multitude of problems it poses to production. It's a tricky oak to cooper due to its tendency to twist as it grows and its porous nature means that these casks are prone to leaking, which can greatly impact final outturn.

Undeterred by these challenges Billy, guided by his wood expertise, crafted this luxurious mahogany malt, boasting indulgent notes of dark chocolate fondant, forest fruits, stem ginger and sandalwood.

Due to the scarcity of Mizunara oak, the release is limited to just 2,900 bottles globally; each proudly presented at a high strength of 48% ABV, without added colouring or chill filtration.

Discover more about the Present Edition below...

The GlenAllachie Billy Walker 50th Anniversary

Present Edition: Mizunara Virgin Oak

16-Year-Old

Colour: Intense Chestnut.

Nose: Bursting with dark chocolate, heather honey and grilled almonds, with hints of sandalwood, ginger, orange zest, caramelised pecans and coconut shavings.

Taste: Waves of heather honey, cinnamon and crystalised ginger, followed by demerara sugar, dried dark berries, hazelnuts and fig syrup.

Reflecting on this innovative release, Billy commented:

“I’m incredibly proud to release my first ever Mizunara virgin oak finished whisky; a cask type that has of course been on my radar to experiment with, not deterred by its undeniable challenges! I was confident that it would perfectly complement the bold nature of The GlenAllachie, and we’re delighted with the outcome. A very proud moment for a special personal milestone.”

The GlenAllachie Billy Walker 50th Anniversary Present Edition is available to purchase through global specialist retailers, with a UK RRSP of £280.

BILLY WALKER

50TH ANNIVERSARY:

FUTURE EDITION

The future is here: presenting the final release of Billy Walker's 50th anniversary trilogy...

Although this release marks the end of our celebratory series, it is a sign of what is to come in the future. Not only is this expression our very first peated single malt, but also the first distillate to be bottled that has been overseen by Master Distiller Billy Walker from start to finish at GlenAllachie. Offering a special opportunity to gain early access to our peated work, we are proud to unveil the Future Edition as The GlenAllachie 4-year-old Peated Single Malt.

Since taking ownership of the distillery in 2017, Billy has implemented several changes to production in order to firmly place the emphasis on achieving quality over quantity. Production has not only been tweaked, but also slowed down to allow for greater supervision throughout the maturation journey of each cask. Through reducing our output by over 80%, we were able to increase our fermentation time to a lengthy 160 hours to create an ester-rich and fruity spirit. As we approach our company's 5th anniversary, we are delighted to be able to present the fruits of our labour.

The young and feisty malt enjoyed maturation in a medley of former Rye and Bourbon barrels, as well as some virgin oak casks before being bottled at natural strength of 60.2%. Made with mainland peat, this amber-hued spirit offers up a distinctively smoky yet sweet flavour profile bursting with sweet cinnamon apples alongside smouldering oak.

A limited release of 10,000 bottles worldwide; each proudly presented at natural colour, without chill filtration and at cask strength.

Discover more about the Future Edition below...

The GlenAllachie Billy Walker 50th Anniversary

Future Edition: Peated Single Malt

4-Year-Old

Colour: Auburn.

Nose: Bursting with honeycomb, dried fruits and hazelnut, with hints of smouldering oak, dark chocolate and warm cinnamon apples.

Taste: Lashings of cinnamon stewed pears, toasted almonds, heather honey and pipe tobacco, followed by smoked barley, vanilla toffee and orchard fruits.

Commenting on this landmark release, Billy told us:

“It’s beyond exciting to release our very own whisky distilled since we took over this hidden gem of a distillery in 2017. I eagerly await the reaction amongst whisky fans to this first glimpse at both our own distillate, and our peated work. The response will unquestionably influence where we take things next."

The GlenAllachie Billy Walker 50th Anniversary Future Edition is available to purchase through global specialist retailers, with a UK RRSP of £80.

50TH ANNIVERSARY TRILOGY III: A LOOK AHEAD

2nd November 2022

Last month, the celebratory series for Master Distiller Billy Walker’s 50th Anniversary was concluded with a landmark release: The GlenAllachie 4-year-old Peated Single Malt. Although marking more firsts for GlenAllachie, this finale is also a sign of what is to come in the future…

When Billy and our team got the keys to The GlenAllachie Distillery in 2017, we immediately implemented several changes to production to firmly place the emphasis on achieving quality over quantity – an ethos which continues to run throughout the heart of our practices. Always the innovator, Billy’s next move was to experiment with distilling peated spirit at GlenAllachie.

“Our driving force is not economies of scale or a desire for absolute consistency, it is the pursuit of the best quality possible.”

The GlenAllachie Distillery Master Distiller Billy Walker Fermentation Future Edition

Although our distillery has the capacity to produce 4 million litres of alcohol per year (LOA), we have reduced output by around 80%. This move has allowed us to increase our fermentation period to a lengthy 160 hours, triple the industry average, enough time to not only allow the sugars to convert to alcohol, but create lots of flavour compounds to deliver a distinctly fruity and ester-rich spirit. This drop in production also allows for great supervision during the maturation journey – essential time thanks to our extensive re-racking programme.

The GlenAllachie Speyside Single Malt Billy Walker Master Distiller Future Edition Peated Whisky

The Future Edition is the first distillate that Billy has overseen from start to finish, and so also the first release to have been impacted by these changes in production. The barley was dried using St. Fergus peat to a level of 80 PPM, offering drinkers the opportunity to try the sweeter side of peat. PPM (parts per million) refers to the measure of phenols present in the malted barley after kilning. Malted barley peated to a higher PPM can contribute to a smokier tasting whisky, but not always. As the malt’s PPM measures the raw material, it is not a governing factor to how peated the whisky in your glass will be.

Along with the multitude of elements in terms of spirit production, the area from which the peat comes from plays a key role in shaping the final product. The provenance of the peat is a big factor which determines the aromas and flavours that emerge from a peated malt. Whilst coastal peat creates more medicinal and maritime notes of seat salt, mainland peat, such as St. Fergus, offers a woodier palate of smoked heather alongside caramelised sugar (see Q2 from Billy below for more insight into this concept of terroir).

The GlenAllachie Speyside Single Malt Billy Walker Master Distiller Future Edition Peated Whisky

It’s no secret that the younger a peated spirit is, the smokier and punchier it will be. However, the combination of sweeter peat, fruitier wash and carefully selected casks crafted the perfect preview of our future peated endeavours. The creamy, vanilla notes from the Bourbon and Rye casks work to perfectly complement the smoky spirit, whilst the Virgin Oak casks offer up hints of citrus and spice. An ode to Billy’s focus upon producing high-quality, flavourful spirit and his exceptional wood management skills, this release truly illustrates the fact that older doesn’t always equal better in the whisky sphere.

“I eagerly await the reaction amongst whisky fans to this first glimpse at both our own distillate, and our peated work. The response will unquestionably influence where we take things next.”

Not only offering fans a sneak peek to our upcoming peated work, The Future Edition is also a nod to the direction in which the unpeated GlenAllachie single malt will follow in the years to come, when the GlenAllachie spirit bottled will be distilled under our ownership. Although this release marks the conclusion of our celebratory series don’t think of it as the end, this is only the beginning.

Keep reading below for some more insight into our latest peated venture from Master Distiller, Billy Walker himself…

Q. Are you a peated whisky fan?

Billy: As a blender, I enjoy working with all styles of malt whisky. Achieving your targeted level of peated influence is the blender’s challenge. Malted barley at 70-80 PPM, the phenols will give a spirit cut of about 30-35 phenols. Mainland peat delivers a sweeter style of peat influence, with a notable absence of brine and iodine notes. The choice of maturation casks for this peated middle cut, delivers some amazing additional and varied flavour components. The difference between Islay/coastal peat and mainland peat, essentially, is a consequence of the source of the peat and terroir. Islay peat is formed from grass, vegetation and heather and herb degradation, whilst mainland peat is formed from tree degradation.

Q. What was the most surprising thing you learnt when working with your own peated distillate?

Billy: We were familiar with the kiln style of the supplier, and were in a position to select the level of peating. Of course, we had to do significant adapting at the distillation stage to fix the optimum cut. We also had good knowledge of the best wood types to use for the maturation, to achieve the flavour profile we were targeting, but retaining the peat influence. We have been pleased with the level of peat retention during the first four years of maturation.

Q. What should we expect to see in the future in terms of other peated releases?

Billy: We have run a significant peated campaign, annually, since 2018. We have used a variety of oak wood casks, including Sherry and virgin oak, for the maturation journey so you can expect some amazing releases.

Watch this space… we certainly have a lot more up our sleeves.

PRESENTING:

21-YEAR-OLD BATCH 3 &

10-YEAR-OLD BATCH 8

Unveiling the hotly anticipated instalments of our acclaimed core range releases...

Today marks the launch of not just one, but two brand-new cask strength editions. We are delighted to present The GlenAllachie 21-year-old Batch 3, alongside Batch 8 of our multi-award-winning 10-year-old. Each small-batch expression was crafted to perfection by Master Blender Billy Walker, who this year celebrated an incredible 50 years in the whisky industry.

Drawing upon his extensive knowledge of Spanish Sherry oak, Billy married together a selection of Pedro Ximénez puncheons from our vintage stocks to create Batch 3 of our 21-year-old. Expect a smooth, complex and elegant malt delivering all of the flavours that the rich colour promises; sticky raisins, toffee and warming mocha at natural strength of 51.5%.

Following in the footsteps of its acclaimed predecessors, Batch 8 of our 10-year-old truly demonstrates Billy's superlative blending skills. With spirit drawn from a combination of PX and Oloroso Sherry puncheons, along with some Virgin Oak and Rioja casks, the resulting liquid is bursting with indulgent notes of tangy orange, dark chocolate and sweet spices, offered at 57.2%.

Each limited release is bottled at cask strength, without chill-filtration and at natural colour to showcase the whisky in its purest form.

The GlenAllachie 21-Year-Old

Cask Strength Batch 3

Colour: Intense Walnut.

Nose: Waves of black grapes, raisins and dark chocolate orange, with hints of coffee, stewed fruits and treacle syrup.

Taste: Lashings of heather honey, cocoa dusted truffles and sultanas, followed by bursts of espresso coffee, mixed currants and brandy butter, with gingersnaps on the finish.

The GlenAllachie 10-Year-Old

Cask Strength Batch 8

Colour: Intensely Rich Mahogany.

Nose: Bursting with mocha, nutmeg and walnut oil, with notes of heather honey, sweet raisins and dried red berries.

Taste: Lashings of cinnamon spice, molasses and honeycomb, followed by ginger and dark chocolate, with hints of nutmeg and fennel on the finish.

Commenting on the latest releases, Billy said:

“Whisky is a waiting game, and after years of careful planning, I never tire of the anticipation; it’s pure excitement. Each and every cask at the distillery is regularly monitored to ensure we bottle the very best whisky available for each expression."

GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN WITH GRAPE

17th February 2023

Following the recent launch of our innovative 2012 Vintage Cuvée Wine Cask Finish Single Malt, we wanted to delve deeper into the world of wine. Disputing the common advice given to “never mix grape and grain”, we will explore the influence that fine wine barriques have upon our spirit and the subsequent flavour extension that is derived from ultimately blending them together.

First things first… what actually is a cuvée? A French term which literally translates to ‘tank’ in English, cuvée can mean a few different things depending on the wine being produced. In terms of champagne or other sparkling wine production, a cuvée could mean a batch made from the very first press of the grapes – an indication of superior quality. However, in the wine sphere the term is synonymous with a blend. Although there is no legal definition, a cuvée often refers to a wine which is made with two or more grape varieties. The ultimate goal is to create an expression in which the sum is greater than its individual components, one which our Master Blender Billy Walker stands by. We have adopted this French term for our latest release, which is a harmonious marriage of spirit finished in four different types of premium red wine casks.

The phenomenon of using wine barriques to finish whisky isn’t necessarily a new one, however often appeals to a smaller audience of whisky drinkers in comparison to the dominance of fortified wines, such as Sherry and Port. Although there are billions of bottles of wine produced each year, the barriques in which they are aged in are significantly smaller than a 500L Sherry Butt, meaning that wine cask finishes are often released as limited-editions, in smaller quantities.

Maturing whisky in wine casks is still an experimental business, and so one that, unsurprisingly, interests our own cask connoisseur, Billy. Thanks to his plethora of connections with producers built from over 50 years in the industry, our Master Blender has the ability to source the finest casks from world-renowned wineries. Our Cuvée release is comprised of red wine barriques sourced from Italy and France. Amongst these, are casks obtained from two of the five Premier Cru Classé Chateaux in Bordeaux – a prestigious classification awarded to vineyards with exceptional terroirs, who produce wine of a superior quality.

The same way in that not all musical instruments can play together in harmony, not every cask type will complement a distillery’s spirit. The GlenAllachie house-style, although characterised by its honeyed charm, is ultimately robust and complex. If you want to get technical, this is thanks to the descended angle of the line arms of our stills, which encourages heavier spirits to fall into the condenser, resulting in a more viscous, fruit-driven new make spirit. These characteristics work in tandem with the rich, fruit-forward flavours delivered by the finest red wine casks used in our Cuvée.

The smaller size of these first-fill barriques also means that they offer more wood contact, imparting a deep, intense injection of both flavour and colour. The greater interaction between wood and spirit is why barriques are often used for a finishing period, rather than full maturation. Billy often suggests that each cask has its own personality and so, each must be monitored closely to determine the optimum time the spirit within should spend. After maturation in American ex-Bourbon Oak, our whisky enjoyed 20 months of further ageing in these European wine casks before being skilfully blended together by Billy.

The maiden batch of our Wine Cask Finish series was a collection of individual wine finishes, so why did we blend several together for this release? Always the innovator, it was a perfect opportunity for Billy to marry two of his passions: whisky and wine. Thanks to his hands-on approach and rigorous sampling programme, it became evident that the flavours developing in each of these barriques would ultimately work well together, a rather wonderful surprise.

The result is a single malt which delivers exceptional balance between the honeyed house-style of the GlenAllachie spirit and the luxurious complexities of premium wines from France and Italy. It truly is a match made in heaven.

GLENALLACHIE DISTILLERY’S VISITOR CENTRE UNDERGOES SIGNIFICANT UPGRADE

27th June 2023

Scotch whisky distillery The GlenAllachie today reveals major upgrades to its visitor centre as it gears up for the high season.

Winner of Visitor Attraction of the Year (Icons of Whisky Scotland, 2022), the site opened to the public for the very first time in April 2019 with a retail shop, small tasting room and limited tour programme.