Glenallachie CS Batch 1 Review

Distilled & Bottled by GlenAllachie

Region: Speyside

Type: Single malt

ABV: 57.1%

Age: 10yrs

Color: light copper

GlenAllachie is a relatively young distillery in Scotch terms, founded in 1967, it changed hands a number of times before being privately purchased in 2017 by the trio of Billy Walker, Graham Stevenson and Trisha Savage.

Billy Walker is GlenAllachie’s master distillery and came from Glendronach. In mid 2018, Walker and crew released their core lineup of whiskies which included this bottle: a 10 year whisky of their own distillate bottled at cask strength.

This whisky is a blend of Pedro Ximenez, Oloroso and Virgin Oak casks. It is bottled at cask strength and without chill filtration or added coloring.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Freshly baked, buttery pastry with toasted apple and oats drizzled in honey which transitions to a feast of fresh fruits including more apple, some pear and melon. It also includes some milk chocolate chips.

Palate: An oily mouthfeel with a strong hit of ethanol up front, behind which are sweet and spicy notes including a continuation of the fruit character from the nose as well as some vanilla. Pepper and baking spice notes fade into a fresh baked barley loaf.

Finish: Medium length that begins with a big bite of spice: more baking spices and pepper which are followed by a return of fresh baked pastry smothered in honey and fruit from the nose.

Rating: 8/10

Conclusion: I really enjoy this whisky as I am a sucker when I find buttery, bready notes in a Scotch. And boy does Batch 1 from have it in spades. Interestingly, I don’t find a lot of PX or Oloroso cask influence here.

To my palate, the virgin oak and GlenAllachie’s malt character dominate the dram, but that’s alright by me because this whisky delivers on those notes I love so much.

I find the strong hit of ethanol on the palate and the medium finish are my only complaints here  b but it is otherwise a great whisky from GlenAllachie.

Ratings|Description

1| Undrinkable
2| Bad
3| Poor
4| Below Average
5| Average
6| Above Average
7| Very Good
8| Great
9| Excellent
10| Perfect