The Spirit of Speyside Festival saw the debut and unveiling of many new single casks from around Speyside, with GlenAllachie no exception. The distillery launched a trio of expressions forming batch 6 of their UK exclusive single malt scotch whiskies, as well as an exclusive bottle only available at the festival.
The first is 15-year-old cask, aged in fresh Bourbon barrels followed by a first-fill Oloroso puncheon, before re-racked into an antique oloroso sherry butt. With an RRSP of £175 and an ABV of 59.4%, the drink is the exclusive for the Spirit of Speyside festival. The producer has described it as having nose notes of fig syrup, muscovado sugar and heather honey, along with a taste of honeyed apricots, sticky sultanas and coffee beans.
Next is the 11-year-old cask, with a ruby blush colour which previously matured first growth Bordeaux red wine casks before hosting the GlenAllachie spirit. The producer has described its scent as bursting with apple peel, cinnamon and heather honey, with a butterscotch, honeysuckle and mint mouthfeel. It has a slightly higher ABV of 59.9% and an RRSP of £100, while being the first of the three expressions to form batch 6.
The GlenAllachie 10-year-old Port Hogshead matured in a cask sourced from Portugal, which formerly held vintage Tawny Port. With an ABV of 56.5% - the lowest of the collection – the producer has described its smell as having orchard fruit notes, honeycomb and strawberry coulis, with its taste having notes of dried berries, cinnamon and heather honey. Its RRSP is £95.
The final is the also the most affordable of the group – an RRSP of £90 – while also having the strongest ABV at 60.1%. The ex-bourbon barrel in which it was filled into had also been used previously to age peated spirits distilled at GlenAllachie. With a golden sunset colour, its scent has been described as having hints of smoked pine nuts, ginger and cigar box, with a palette consisting of lashings of butterscotch, ginger and toasted almonds.
Speaking on the new products, industry veteran and distillery boss Billy Walker said: “At GlenAllachie, we are deeply passionate about sourcing unique and innovative casks, particularly from premium, niche producers. Each of these casks selected reflect this; from the French fine wine barrique to the antique Sherry butt which dates back to the middle of the 20th Century, each brings considerable character and charm to the table. We now look forward with great delight to welcoming whisky fans from across the world to our hidden gem for the Spirit of Speyside Festival, with these spectacular drams getting the limelight they deserve. Batch 6 of The GlenAllachie UK Single Casks will be available via specialist retailers across the country from the week commencing 2nd May, whilst the distillery’s on-site shop will have stock of all four Single Casks from today.”
The first is 15-year-old cask, aged in fresh Bourbon barrels followed by a first-fill Oloroso puncheon, before re-racked into an antique oloroso sherry butt. With an RRSP of £175 and an ABV of 59.4%, the drink is the exclusive for the Spirit of Speyside festival. The producer has described it as having nose notes of fig syrup, muscovado sugar and heather honey, along with a taste of honeyed apricots, sticky sultanas and coffee beans.
Next is the 11-year-old cask, with a ruby blush colour which previously matured first growth Bordeaux red wine casks before hosting the GlenAllachie spirit. The producer has described its scent as bursting with apple peel, cinnamon and heather honey, with a butterscotch, honeysuckle and mint mouthfeel. It has a slightly higher ABV of 59.9% and an RRSP of £100, while being the first of the three expressions to form batch 6.
The GlenAllachie 10-year-old Port Hogshead matured in a cask sourced from Portugal, which formerly held vintage Tawny Port. With an ABV of 56.5% - the lowest of the collection – the producer has described its smell as having orchard fruit notes, honeycomb and strawberry coulis, with its taste having notes of dried berries, cinnamon and heather honey. Its RRSP is £95.
The final is the also the most affordable of the group – an RRSP of £90 – while also having the strongest ABV at 60.1%. The ex-bourbon barrel in which it was filled into had also been used previously to age peated spirits distilled at GlenAllachie. With a golden sunset colour, its scent has been described as having hints of smoked pine nuts, ginger and cigar box, with a palette consisting of lashings of butterscotch, ginger and toasted almonds.
Speaking on the new products, industry veteran and distillery boss Billy Walker said: “At GlenAllachie, we are deeply passionate about sourcing unique and innovative casks, particularly from premium, niche producers. Each of these casks selected reflect this; from the French fine wine barrique to the antique Sherry butt which dates back to the middle of the 20th Century, each brings considerable character and charm to the table. We now look forward with great delight to welcoming whisky fans from across the world to our hidden gem for the Spirit of Speyside Festival, with these spectacular drams getting the limelight they deserve. Batch 6 of The GlenAllachie UK Single Casks will be available via specialist retailers across the country from the week commencing 2nd May, whilst the distillery’s on-site shop will have stock of all four Single Casks from today.”
