Glenallachie launches next editions of Wood Finishes

9 years Rye Wood Finish, 11 years Moscatel Wood Finish and 11 years Port Wood Finish

 

With three new editions, the Glenallachie Distillery starts the second round of its Wood Finishes series. They will be presented on May 7, 2020 at an online tasting led by Master Distiller Billy Walker. Those who are interested can join the tasting from 8pm CEST (7pm BST) on the Glenallachie Distillery's Facebook page. The new editions include a 9-year-old Rye Wood Finish, an 11-year-old Moscatel Wood Finish and an 11-year-old Port Wood Finish.

Since the takeover of the Glenallachie Distillery in 2017 by the owner trio Trisha Savage, Graham Stevenson and Billy Walker, distillation and building a new stock of whisky is done on the one hand, on the other hand, Master Distiller Billy Walker can already release Glenallachie Single Malt Whisky using the treasure of 50,000 casks of matured whisky acquired together with the distillery. In addition to the standard range, specially selected single cask bottlings have been released, and since July 2019, there is also a series of wood finishes.

Glenallachie Wood Finishes started in July 2019

All single malts of the Glenallachie Wood Finishes range are bottled with 48% AB, uncolored and unchill-filtered. A basic maturation in American oak barrels was followed by special finishes to give the whisky its very own character. The Glenallachie Wood Finishes series started with the release of an 8-year-old Koval Quarter Cask Wood Finish, a 10-year-old Port Wood Finish and a 12-year-old Pedro Ximénez Sherry Wood Finish. A 12-year-old Glenallachie Madeira Wood Finish was recently released, specially bottled for Germany.

To complement the spirit, not to overpower it

Billy Walker says: “From day one, we’ve spent a lot of time exploring the amazing array of casks here in the warehouses and also looking at how our spirit interacts with different types of wood. It’s exciting to see how we can change and enhance the flavour profile of our spirit to create rich and full-bodied whiskies. This second batch of wood finishes represents the culmination of all those experiments, and we’re excited about the range of new flavours we’ve created by giving our malt second maturations in rye, Moscatel and ruby Port barrels. It’s a delicate process to make sure the different woods complement The GlenAllachie spirit rather than overpower it, but we’re delighted with the results.”

Producers Tasting notes for the new Glenallachie Wood Finishes

9 YO Glenallachie Rye Wood Finish
COLOUR: Golden Sunrise.
NOSE: Cinnamon and nutmeg with waves of honey, treacle and orange peel.
TASTE: Intense stewed spices enriched with honey, butterscotch, treacle, orange zest and hints of cloves.

11 YO Glenallachie Moscatel Wood Finish
COLOUR: Bronze Gold.
NOSE: Peaches and cinnamon balanced with heather honey and mocha.
TASTE: A rich combination of heather honey, orange zest and peaches, with notes of cinnamon and mocha in the background.

11YO Glenallachie Port Wood Finish
COLOUR: Ruby Red.
NOSE: Waves of ripe fruit and sweet spice, with notes of dark chocolate and roses.
TASTE: A fusion of plums, damsons, strawberries, rosehips and dark chocolate.