GlenAllachie 2012 Vintage Cuvee Wine Cask Finish release 2023 (70cl, 48%)
To craft The GlenAllachie Wine Cask Series, Master Blender Billy Walker first expertly matured our spirit in the finest American oak ex-Bourbon barrels, before transferring the whisky into hand-selected European wine barriques for secondary aging. Billy added a distinctive twist to this release by ultimately blending four exceptional wine cask finishes into one unique expression: The Cuvée Wine Cask Finish.
A French term, ‘Cuvée’ is used in the wine sector to reference a blend that typically comprises more than one variety of grape. Likewise, this release, bottled in 2023, is a harmonious marriage of whisky matured in barriques which previously held premium red wine. The finest casks were hand-picked from the French AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) regions of Languedoc and Médoc whilst, across the border, Grattamacco and Recioto della Valpolicella barriques from Italy were sourced to host our honeyed spirit.
Once expertly blended, the resulting golden liquid delivers an exceptionally opulent drinking experience. Expect layers of robust red fruits and gentle spice alongside hints of citrusfrom this smooth yet characterful limited malt.
This limited expression is bottled unchilfiltered for flavour with no added colouring at 48% ABV.
Prior to 2017, when the distillery was acquired by master distiller Billy Walker, GlenAllachie whisky was most commonly found in blends.
Glenallachie distillery was built by Mackinlays in 1967 to meet the demands of its blends following an upturn in sales in the US. Built as a small compact distillery, GlenAllachie was the fourth distillery designed by William Delme-Evans. The complete whisky making process was gravity fed and combined with unusual horizontal condensers it was a triumph of engineering and design. In its short history it has passed through the hands of Invergordon Distillers and Pernod-Ricard. During this period the focus was always on the provision of blends, with over 20 years between the first Mackinlay’s distillery bottlings of its single malt and the next official release from Chivas Brothers in 2005. Now in the hands of Billy Walker, Glenallachie is finally being pushed as an increasingly popular single malt brand since 2017.