I suppose to set the stage here I’d refer you to Randy Quaid at the end of Independence Day where he kamakazis the alien spaceship while declaring, “Hello boys! I’m baaack!” Context. I haven’t reviewed anything for almost a year. Been pretty inactive for a while too. Let me explain. Lots of things. First of all, dissertations don’t write themselves and I had to make the hard choice to eliminate a worthy but semi-destructive distraction. I gave away all my bottles and focused on the task at hand. Also, I was drinking too much on a weekly basis and needed a hard reset. My liver, my career, and my marriage are better for it. Since then, I’ve finished the dissertation, got a new job, visited distilleries in both Kentucky and Scotland (look for forthcoming reviews from distillery goodies) and rebuilt a modest collection with the goal of having representative bottles without going overboard like before. Now, the bottle at hand. Glenallachie was not one of the distilleries I got to visit in Scotland. As it happens I was holed up in a hotel room in Inverness with food poisoning the day we were supposed to go to Speyside…next time. No, this bottle is an attempt to find a replacement for the Glendronach sized hole in my heart after Brown Foreman broke it by beginning to chill filter Glendronach. I remain committed to tracking down remaining non-chill filtered bottles….last of a dying breed. But I digress. This is a proper Sherry monster. At 12 years, the house spirit still shines through, with a fruity, speyside character of apples, pears, apricots, etc. Enveloping it is a warm Sherry blanket of olorosso and PX, and I get the slickness from the Sherry and the virgin oak casks in the mix. The palate is warm and viscous (phrasing, boom) and a lovely medium finish full of fruit and baking spices rounds it off. It’s fuller and richer than Glendronach 12, but the speyside fruit still contrasts the more robust Highland style of Glendronach. Both good, and this serves as a worthy alternative for those who are also distraught about Glendronach’s mid-life crisis. Also, I found this for about $50, a full $10 less than other worthy replacements like Tamdhu 12, though Glenallachie is one of the few 12 year olds I find presented at 46% and NCF. Good on you Billy Walker. Way to look out for the educated consumer. Cheers, and it’s good to be back.