”Once in a Lifetime”
Whisky Review # 975
Country: Scotland 🏴
Region: Speyside
Brand: GlenAllachie Port Wood Finish (Wood Finish Series)
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 48%
Maturation: 8 Years in Ex-Bourbon Casks and 2 Years in Ruby Port Oak Pipes
Maturation: 8 Years in Ex-Bourbon Casks and 2 Years in Ruby Port Oak Pipes
Sample received from Jan in The Netherlands. Many Thanks!
Chill Filtration: No
Chill Filtration: No
Price Range: US$ 45-65 (January 2023)
Price/Quality Ratio: 😐 Okay at around US$ 50
Buying Advice: 👎 There are better Red Wine Finished Malts around.
Colour:
Amber with shades of Red and Orange (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Young and relatively Light. The influence of the Port pipes is not overwhelming at all. It's Sweet with a few Sour notes for balance. Lots of (Dark) Red Berries. The Alcohol is noticeable but does not interfere with the Nosing procedures.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Caramel, Heather-Honey, (Dark) Red Berries like Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackberries & Cranberries, Milk-Chocolate, Coconut, Dusty Oak, Marzipan, Cinnamon, Mint and Caffe Latte.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Toffee, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Apples, Grass and Straw, Cherry-Flavored Cough Pastilles, Slivovitz, Dusty Warehouse, Slightly Sour Red Wine, Forest Floor, Banana and hints of Polished Leather Upholstery.
Colour:
Amber with shades of Red and Orange (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Young and relatively Light. The influence of the Port pipes is not overwhelming at all. It's Sweet with a few Sour notes for balance. Lots of (Dark) Red Berries. The Alcohol is noticeable but does not interfere with the Nosing procedures.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Caramel, Heather-Honey, (Dark) Red Berries like Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackberries & Cranberries, Milk-Chocolate, Coconut, Dusty Oak, Marzipan, Cinnamon, Mint and Caffe Latte.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Toffee, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Dried Fruit like Raisins and Apples, Grass and Straw, Cherry-Flavored Cough Pastilles, Slivovitz, Dusty Warehouse, Slightly Sour Red Wine, Forest Floor, Banana and hints of Polished Leather Upholstery.
Bitter-Sweet with a few Sour notes as well. Quite Dry. The Alcohol is noticeable and a slightly lower ABV would be better in this case. No need to bottle a 10 Year old Single Malt at 48%.
Main Flavours:
Toasted Barley, Caramel, Heather-Honey, (Dark) Red Fruits such as Raspberries, and Blackberries, Dried Banana, Bitter Almonds, Slightly Sour Red Wine, Milk-Chocolate, Pepper, Cinnamon and Mint.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Toffee, Butterscotch, Treacle, Brown Sugar, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Apples, Cherry-Flavored Cough Pastilles, Slivovitz, Wet Stones, Ginger, Aniseed, Lemon & hints of Leather, Espresso and Tobacco.
Finish:
Middle-Long & Bitter-Sweet. Dry towards the end. The Alcohol remains noticeable. A few Metallic, Mineral and Rubbery off-notes. I also find Toasted Barley, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Caramel, Bitter Almonds, Cherry-Flavored Cough Syrup, Dusty Oak, Slivovitz, Red Berries (Raspberry, Strawberry), Wet Paper, Milk-Chocolate, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Peppermint and hints of Leather and Dark Espresso.
Toffee, Butterscotch, Treacle, Brown Sugar, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas and Apples, Cherry-Flavored Cough Pastilles, Slivovitz, Wet Stones, Ginger, Aniseed, Lemon & hints of Leather, Espresso and Tobacco.
Middle-Long & Bitter-Sweet. Dry towards the end. The Alcohol remains noticeable. A few Metallic, Mineral and Rubbery off-notes. I also find Toasted Barley, Heather-Honey, Vanilla, Caramel, Bitter Almonds, Cherry-Flavored Cough Syrup, Dusty Oak, Slivovitz, Red Berries (Raspberry, Strawberry), Wet Paper, Milk-Chocolate, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Peppermint and hints of Leather and Dark Espresso.
Drinking Advice:
On account of the size of the sample I only tasted this Glenallachie neat.
Rating: 6.5 (******1/2)
Nose: 7 - Taste: 6.5 - Finish: 6 - Overall: 6.5
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
A few of my loyal readers have pointed out that every once in a while my final Rating note did not seem to be totally in line with the written text. I recognize that. When I started this Whisky Blog back in 2011, I was not at all experienced in tasting and scoring Single Malts & Blends. Looking back I realize that during the early years I probably scored the good Whiskies too low and the not so good Whiskies too high. Ever since the beginning I try to remain consequent in my rating, always comparing the outcome to the rating of comparable whiskies in terms of quality and taste and adjusting the final rating if necessary. This might lead to the discrepancy I mentioned before. As a result I have decided to use a new rating system as of today. I will still give a rating for Nose, Taste and Finish but now on the scale from 1-10 whereby 1 represents the worst and 10 the best. The sum of these numbers will be divided by 3 to get the final score. I hope this new scoring makes it easier for you to understand what I thought about the whisky I'm reviewing.
If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink. Please let me know what you think of the new rating system and leave your comments and/or suggestions.
Okay
Conclusion:
The Glenallachie Distillery is quite new and was founded only in 1967. It is located on a hill above Aberlour, close to Ben Rinnes. It closed from 1987 to 1989 when it was purchased by Pernod Ricard who in turn sold it to The GlenAllachie Distillers Company in 2017. Most of the Spirit disappeared in Blends like Clan Campbell, House of Lords, White Heather & Chivas Regal until 2018. At that time a core range was launched by the new owners that currently includes the 10 Years CS, the 12, 15, 18, 21 CS and 30 CS.
I'm not a huge fan of (Fortified) Red Wine finished Single Malts but there are a few exceptions like this Longrow. The GlenAllachie 10 Y is a young Single Malt that received a Face-Lift with a 2 Year Port Finish and a (too) high ABV. The result is a slightly unbalanced and nervous Single Malt that presents a few (artificial) off-notes, mainly in the Finish. The Nose is okay but the rest leaves a lot to be desired. One dram was enough for the rest of my life!
Cheers! 🥃
Jan van den Ende January 12, 2023
