GlenAllachie Showcases Line Of Wood Finished Scotch Whiskies

The GlenAllachie distillery in Scotland last year unveiled is core Scotch single malt whisky range, including a 25 year old matured in Pedro Ximinez, Oloroso and American oak casks. Now the distillery team here is expanding its offerings to include its first-ever range of limited edition wood finishes.

The new GlenAllachie line up, according to those behind it, is the result of the distillery’s master distiller Billy Walker first hand-selecting barrels from among the 50,000 casks in the 16 warehouses on site at the distillery near Aberlour for the additional maturation period. Casks were sourced from a variety of bodegas and distilleries that shared Walker’s culture of careful wood management and with whom he had established relationships with through his long career in the whisky industry.

Here are the specifics for each of the three releases from information provided by GlenAllachie:

• The 8 year old Koval Rye Quarter Cask Wood Finish was first matured in American oak wood barrels and then underwent an additional maturation period in organic Rye quarter casks from Chicago’s Koval Distillery. The greater liquid-to-wood ratio in the smaller casks means that the rich spicy flavour of the Rye is released more rapidly.
• With its distinctive ruby red colour, the 10 year old Port Wood Finish was first matured in American oak barrels before being re-racked into vintage Ruby Port wood pipes sourced in North Portugal. The Port wood influence adds flavour, depth and complexity to the whisky, with sweet notes of heather honey, butterscotch and treacle.
• The 12 year old Pedro Ximenez Sherry Wood Finish is a rich sumptuous whisky with great depth. This whisky was matured for over ten years in American oak wood barrels before its additional maturation in Pedro Ximenez puncheons. This process enriches the flavour, creating a sweeter, fruitier whisky.

“I’m incredibly excited to unveil this new range featuring GlenAllachie’s first-ever range of wood finishes,” said Walker in a prepared statement. “Wood management is something I’m very passionate about and we invest a substantial amount of time and money into sourcing exceptional casks from all around the world. I look for casks that will complement and enhance the GlenAllachie spirit, with the different woods making a greater, or sometimes subtle, influence, and taking us on a journey of new flavours.”

Limited official tasting notes for these three whiskies indicate that “the rich golden Rye Quarter Cask delivers a hit of spice and cloves with classic GlenAllachie characteristics of honey and butterscotch, whereas the ruby red Port Pipe has a sweeter and fruitier flavour, with honey, damson and rose hips. Finally the Pedro Ximenez, deep rich mahogany in colour, delivers what the eye promises; raisins, sultanas, toffee and dark chocolate.”