There is no shortage of sherry-forward single malt Scotch whisky at the moment, but few distilleries offer better bang for your buck than The GlenAllachie. The Speyside distillery has quietly transformed at the hands of whisky legend Billy Walker in recent years and is dipping its toe into the fine and rare market with its debut 35 Year Old – its oldest single malt to date.
Walker is a legend within the Scotch whisky industry. He was responsible for turning The GlenDronach into one of the leading sherry-forward distilleries in Scotland before selling it to Brown-Forman along with BenRiach and Glenglassaugh for $430m. He reinvested some of that windfall to purchase The GlenAllachie in 2017, which was until then a run-of-the-mill distillery primarily used in Pernod Ricard blends.
In just seven years, The GlenAllachie has moved into the limelight of whisky connoisseurs and has particular reverence in emerging Asian markets. The hype reached fever pitch in 2022, when the Billy Walker 50th Anniversary Series, designed to celebrate Walker’s five decades in the industry, started selling for 400% of its retail value on auction sites. Much of that hype has since died down along with the rest of the secondary market, but Walker’s legion of loyal drinkers remain, who will take anything he has touched.
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The 35 Year Old is a new test for GlenAllachie, however. It’s the first time since Walker’s takeover that it has produced something experiential. The bottle is a different design from the standard and comes in an oak presentation box. At £1,479 ($1,950), it’s the most expensive whisky The GlenAllachie has released (although bottles of the 50th Anniversary series were trading for those sorts of prices two years ago).
As a qualified chemist, Walker focuses primarily on cask quality. He proudly states that their budget for cask curation is around $3m for the year – a significant chunk of the distillery’s overall budget. Walker has only had his hands on this 35 Year Old for seven years, but in that time he has had a distinct influence on the liquid by re-racking it in some of those high-quality casks. This includes three Pedro Ximénez casks, one Oloroso cask and two virgin oak casks.
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Despite the added pomp, Walker’s personal touch remains. The booklet is filled with his hand-written tasting notes of all the casks included in the 35 Year Old. His modest notes and charming handwriting point to The GlenAllachie’s ethos, which runs a cottage-like operation compared to the multi-national corporations it is competing against. The benefit of that, they say, is an unwavering commitment to quality with no shareholders worrying about maximizing the bottom line.
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Speaking at the launch of the whisky, Walker was keen to admit that this was just the beginning of The GlenAllachie’s fine and rare whiskies. Older whiskies are on the way, as are more experiments. For now, however, the focus will be on introducing his style of old-age whisky to the world.
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He said: “The 35 Year Old is a testament to The GlenAllachie’s dedication, patience and relentless pursuit of perfection. Unifying the six spectacular casks has created the perfect equilibrium between the sweet influence of Pedro Ximénez, the nutty contribution of Oloroso and the spiciness of the virgin oak.
“The amalgamation entails a truly spectacular single malt with opulent notes of spiced caramel, rich espresso, tropical fruits and dark chocolate truffles. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a bottle, it’s a whisky to be treasured.”
The GlenAllachie 35 Year Old: Tasting notes
Color: Rich mahogany
Nose: Lots of sherry influence with dried fruits and cinnamon spice at the front. Dig deeper and you find fresh fruits and notes of banana fritters and honey.
Taste: This is not a sherry bomb, but it’s close to it. Dark chocolate and mocha hit first with dried fruits and raisins closely behind. Despite the rich flavors, the texture is light and appealing – no tannins to speak of, making it a pleasant and accessible dram. Christmas spices come next with cinnamon and nutmeg. A touch of water brings out a bit of the sweetness, with heather honey and even a bit in pineapple lingering in the background.
Score: 8/10
– 10 A unicorn: Spend whatever it takes
– 8.5–9.5 Top shelf: Impress your fellow whisky geeks
– 7–8: Great: Buy two bottles – one to drink, one to keep
– 5.5–6.5: Very good: Keep it on the shelf – a good daily drinker
– 5: Not bad: There’s better out there for the same money
– Below 5 – Disappointing
The GlenAllachie 35 Year Old is available now from specialist retailers worldwide with a UK SRP of £1,479 (approx $1,950). For more information, visit theglenallachie.com
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