Slainte-Mhath
GlenAllachie 12 Year
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
October 5, 2019 (edited October 9, 2020)
When Billy Walker said in an interview that 'running GlenAllachie is fun', he caught my interest. Can you have a better motivation? With its selection of PX, Oloroso and virgin casks, the 12-year-old expression offers a busy nose. Fruity acidity, butterscotch and shortbread are followed by cinnamon, clay and fresh mint. Full-bodied, peppery and slightly mineral, the taste features banana, sage and hints of mocha. After Eights, citrus zest and jelly babies accompany the cask-dominated finish. There are no shortcuts to quality, and this malt is ticking all the boxes.
RATING: 3.9/5.0 stars ≙ 86 pts → FIRST-CLASS [-]
40.0
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He just placed out a series of single casks, all matured in different finishes—-from Madeira to PX. Seems to be selling quite fast
@Slainte-Mhath good to hear. Cheers!
@WhiskeyLonghorn I like GlenDronach 12 a little more (rated 87 pts), but they are both very good malts. I am not a huge fan of virgin oak, so this might explain my preference for GlenDronach. Glenmorangie Lasanta is a tad weaker, but still pretty good IMO. To be honest, you can't go wrong with any of these three whiskies :)
@Slainte-Mhath great review! How do you feel this one compares to the Glendronach 12 or the Glenmorangie Lasanta?
@Rick_M I guess that was a rhetorical question ;)
@Soba45 Looking forward to read your reviews! I've not tasted the 18 yo yet, so maybe this bottling is not bad after all.
@Slainte-Mhath - after “Eight” what? :)
@Slainte-Mhath Good review. I have the new 12 and 18 so will be interesting to see if younger is better!
Additional comment: Be careful when buying older bottlings of GlenAllachie. Most reviews favour the young expressions (10 yo CS, 12 yo, 15 yo), whereas the 18 yo and 25 yo seem to be subpar. These malts were never meant to become a Single Malt, so I guess the calliber of casks being used some 20-25 years ago was not the best...
Additional comment: I think most of you will agree with me that Billy Walker did a fantastic job at GlenDronach, BenRiach and Glenglassaugh Distillery. Let's hope he can transform GlenAllachie into a new star on the whisky horizon. Here is the link to the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNHNQDsb8Ek