The GlenAllachie Unveils Oldest Core Scotch Single Malt Whisky Release

The GlenAllachie Distillery recently launched its oldest and most prestigious core offering yet: The GlenAllachie 30-Year-Old Cask Strength Batch 1 single malt Scotch whisky. This comes after the distillery took home the title of the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards.

Batch 1 of The GlenAllachie 30-year-old is the first in a series of annual small-batch releases at this age, with only 2,000 bottles available worldwide. The first installment is a marriage of vintage whiskies from nine casks handpicked by Master Distiller, Billy Walker, from stocks spanning more than 50,000 casks maturing across 16 on-site warehouses at GlenAllachie.

The whisky is bottled at a cask strength of 48.9% ABV, non-chill filtered and of natural color. Walker selected a combination of 1989 and 1990 vintage matured in former Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso hogsheads and puncheons, along with a small quantity of Chinquapin Virgin Oak casks.

The GlenAllachie 30-Year-Old (image via The GlenAllachie)

“When I first explored the warehouses here back in 2017, I was blown away by the quality I discovered. I immediately set out earmarking casks and planning a series of incredibly special releases,” Walker said in a prepared statement. “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 GlenAllachie 30-Year-Old Cask Strength Batch 1 is available from specialist retailers globally, pricing at £475, or around $675 USD. Official tasting notes are below from the distillery.

• Colour: Rich Mahogany.
• Nose: Fruit cake, raisins and mocha, with honey, cinnamon and coconut.
• Taste: Layers of dark chocolate, fruit cake, raisins, honey and figs, with treacle, orange zest and nutmeg.