New scotch whisky releases this week include three sherry cask finishes from GlenAllachie, a 25 year old travel exclusive from Glenmorangie, and a 65 year old from Gordon & Macphail.
GlenAllachie Sherry Cask Series
As promised, The GlenAllachie has unveiled the first three additions to The Wood Collection. The bottlings are:
- The GlenAllachie 9 Year Old Fino Sherry Cask Finish, 48% ABV – £60 (~$75)
- Notes of “[d]ried apricots, honeycomb and butterscotch, followed by baking spices, marzipan and caramel, with orchard fruits and citrus on the finish.”
- The GlenAllachie 9 Year Old Amontillado Sherry Cask Finish, 48% ABV – £60 (~$75)
- “Honeycomb, maraschino cherries and dried apricots, followed by poached pears, blood orange, mixed nuts and cinnamon.”
- The GlenAllachie 9 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish, 48% ABV – £60 (~$75)
- “Dark chocolate, honeycomb and butterscotch, leading to dried red berries, ginger and damsons, with poached apples and muscovado sugar.”
Following a packaging redesign earlier in 2024, The GlenAllachie is expanding its portfolio. Prior to this release, the distillery had used primarily Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks for maturation of sherry expressions. As such, these new releases represent a new era of exploration for the distillery, which is looking to premiumize in the coming years.
Master Distiller and Blender Billy Walker, a scotch whisky industry veteran, said: “With the ‘Sherry Series’, we’re trying to achieve something special that would create intrigue and provoke discussion. Integrating the personality of six Sherry styles with The GlenAllachie’s heather honey DNA delivered a spectrum of aromatic and flavour characteristics that has exceeded our expectations. The first three expressions are truly exceptional – we can’t wait to share part two in a few months.”
Glenmorangie 25 Year Old Pommard Wine Cask Finish Travel Retail Exclusive
Glenmorangie Distillery has recently announced the release of a new travel retail exclusive. The whisky is a 25 year old single malt scotch. Initially matured in ex-bourbon casks for 10 years, the whisky was then reracked into Pommard red wine French oak casks for a secondary maturation period of 15 years.
The use of Pommard red wine casks is a first for the distillery. It reflects Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden’s, love of wine and affinity for experimenting with wine cask finishes.
Located in Côte de Beaune, Pommard is an appellation known for producing bold and rich wines using Pinot Noir grapes.
The Glenmorangie 25 Year Old Pommard Wine Cask Finish is available exclusively from Glenmorangie’s boutique in Heathrow Airport. Limited to just 1,000 bottles, the whisky was bottled at 51.6% ABV, and has an RRP of £2,100 (~£2,650).
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Gordon & Macphail Mr George Legacy 1958 65 Year Old
Legendary scotch independent bottler, Gordon & Macphail, is adding to its super high age statement portfolio, with the release of a 65 year old whisky. This is the latest addition to the Legacy series.
The Gordon & Macphail Mr George Legacy 1958 65 Year Old was bottled in tribute to George Urquhart, or “Mr George” as he was affectionately known. Mr George was a pioneer in the whisky industry. A second generation of the Urquhart family, George was the mastermind behind Gordon & Macphail’s Connoisseurs Choice series, which championed single malts at a time when blends ruled the market.
Urquhart himself laid down this particular cask of whisky in 1958. It has now been bottled from single cask #3818, with just 376 bottles produced. The whisky has an ABV of 56.5%, which is extremely impressive given the age statement.
Charlie McLean, a respected whisky writer, said: “This is an exceptionally fine old whisky, hugely complex but still remarkably vivacious. Another worthy tribute to Mr. George Urquhart, the man who put malt whisky on the map.”
The whisky will be priced at around $9,000 per bottle. For more information, visit the Gordon & Macphail website.
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