2007 Adelphi Glenallachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

An exclusive opportunity to grab an all-natural sherried gem!

With few official bottlings and virtually no public profile, Glenallachie is uncommon, yet it can be exceptionally good.
How good? Good enough for Billy Walker to buy the distillery. Yes, that serial whisky entrepreneur who performed wonders reviving Glendronach, Benriach & Glenglassaugh is at it again. As of 2018, Glenallachie is his new baby, and his enthusiasm isn’t surprising. Taste this 10 year old and you get a sense of just how precocious these whiskies can be.
At fifty years old, Glenallachie may be one of the younger distilleries in Speyside, dwarfed by neighbouring grand marques like Macallan, Aberlour, Glenfiddich and Balvenie, however a lack of notoriety seems part of the charm for Walker. ”What I do know is that this is very good liquid, and that the inventory is excellent for single malt [whiskies date back to the 1970s] ...Having a distillery which is a blank piece of paper and with mature stock is always an added bonus" he adds.

Difficult to find at the best of times (the prolific 'Malt Maniacs' managed less than three dozen independent bottlings in a decade), we’ve managed to gain exclusivity on a once-off Glenallachie, hand picked by two of the industry’s top noses, Alex Bruce and Charles McLean. If you are partial to traditional sherry-heavy styles (think Glendronach 18 or Glengoyne 21), this delivers the goods, and in an all-natural, cask strength, non chill filtered package. It's a very limited allocation from the original outturn of 584 bottles. No rainchecks. First in first served.

Tasting note: Fabulous deep topaz. A few off notes to the opening pass, but develops beautifully with old fashioned Sherry panache: dried fruits especially raisin, prune and dried apricot, as well as nutty, leathery and dry muscat-like aromas – even a touch of rancio that belies its age. Some minor sulphur too (Jim Murray will hate this). It’s incredibly approachable without water - oloroso sherry input competing with the sheer weight and richness of the barley. Mildly bittersweet. There's a subtle struck match note, followed by orange zest and hints of fruit cake through the aftertaste. Youthful, but already clearly defined and very confident. It's the kind of whisky that's getting increasingly difficult to find - at least at any reasonable price. Sherry heads rejoice! 64.7% Alc./Vol.

Notes from the bottler... quite closed to start with. After a while is opens to a burnt brown sugar top note on a base of 'dusky desk drawer' with traces of rose-scented furniture polish. giving way to dried raisins in a waxed dripping. Teeth coating texture and a taste of dry Oloroso Sherry, with a suggestion of cordite in the finish. Water brings up brandy butter, stem ginger and tablet; the taste is now sweeter, less tannic and mouth cooling (star anise); the cordite becomes matchbox striker in the finish.