Description
Glenallachie 12YO 700ml is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky from The GlenAllachie Distillery near Aberlour, aged for 12 years and bottled at 46% with no colour added and no chill filtration. Its wood recipe includes Pedro Ximenez sherry, oloroso sherry and virgin oak casks, which accounts for the deep colour you can see in the bottle.
The distillery is younger than many of its Speyside neighbours. It was founded in 1967 by Mackinlay McPherson at the foot of Ben Rinnes, close to the Lour burn.
Its modern story begins in 2017, when Chivas Brothers sold the site to a group of three whisky industry figures: Billy Walker, Trisha Savage and Graham Stevenson. Walker, a former managing director of BenRiach, became the public face of the new business and signs this bottle as master distiller. The 12 Year Old is the flagship of the core range they built after the purchase.
Both the carton and the bottle state no colour added and non-chill filtered, along with the 46% strength. Reviewers pick up honey and butterscotch early on, with dried fruit and dark chocolate arriving later, and the sherry casks and virgin oak each have a role in that progression.
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Pour it neat, then try a few drops of water to loosen the fruit and spice. It stands up to a large ice cube if you prefer it cooler. For food, try it with sticky date pudding, a rich fruit cake, dark chocolate or a strong aged cheddar.
- The GlenAllachie Distillery, Speyside, founded 1967
- Pedro Ximenez, oloroso and virgin oak casks
- Aged 12 years, 46% ABV, not chill filtered
Melon, honey, raisin and banana rise from the glass with a little oak. The palate is medium bodied with honey, butterscotch and banana, and the finish grows darker with mocha, dark chocolate and malted barley.
A rewarding bottle for sherry cask fans, and a welcome gift for anyone interested in Speyside whisky with some strength behind it.
