GlenAllachie 9 Year Rye Wood Finish

Sweet and spicy. Mine was 10 years old though.

Nose: Caramel toffee, lemon curd, Seville oranges and a hint of vanilla and coconut. Palate: The arrival is sweet, mild caramel but as soon as it settles on the tongue the spice notes kick in. Black pepper, cinnamon and clove are obvious, but they are not dominating. As the palate progresses a sweet malty note comes to the front. The texture is fine but unremarkable. Finish: Medium/short. Warmly spicy against a caramel background. A little twist of citrus zest in the aftertaste. This expression seems to have fairly limited release, but if you don’t get the chance to taste it don't fret - you are not missing out on much. It presented as a pretty ordinary dram with not much going on. It’s not unpleasant, although a little spirity on the nose, but it’s just kind of “meh” all-round. It’s also expensive for what it is, both in absolute terms as a 9 year old single malt and even more so when judged in comparison against other single malts of similar or greater age. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to buy a bottle of this unless they are a Glenallachie completionist. It’s not bad as such, but rather generic and the price is about twice as much as it deserves. The official tasting notes here are fair, but I would not rate this at 87/100. I tasted this as a pour at the 2021 Sydney Whisky Show which was held last weekend to coincide with World Whisky Day. It was the first major face-to-face spirits event in Australia for some time and I’ll be posting a few tastings from the show over the coming days. “Average” : 79/100 (2.75 stars)