Glenallachie 13 Year SMWS Cask 107.6
It’s a rare treat when you have a chance to sample a bottle of Glenallachie whisky. This is because, of the roughly 3-million liters of whisky that they produce each year, almost none of it is bottled as a single malt. I’ve definitely never seen it bottled on its own before, and so was pretty excited at the prospect of trying this offering from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
Glenallachie is a Speyside distillery that was built in 1967 by Mackinlay Macpherson Ltd., one of the big scotch whisky conglomerates of the time. According to Robin Laing they were looking for “a fine, subtle, delicate, complex malt for blending purposes.”* It later passed into the hands of Invergordon Distillers Group, and is now part of Pernod Ricard’s portfolio of distilleries. Today it serves the same purpose that it did back in 1967, producing millions of liters of whisky that is used almost entirely for blending purposes. Specifically, it is a part of the following blends: MacKinlay’s, King’s Ransom, Clan Campbell, Legendary, White Horse, and House of Lords. Phew!
The SMWS has named this bottling “A Summer Meadow”. It spent 13 years aging in a refill bourbon hogshead, and was bottled at a whopping 59%.
The color is very light gold, reminiscent of sauvignon blanc. The nose has elements of vanilla saltwater taffy, sugar cookies, and citrus, underscored by warm, malty notes. The palate kicks off with zinging, tart citrus flavors, prickling above an undercurrent of creamy lemon pudding. There is a slightly smoky note kicking around as well. The body has a plush, soft texture, and a nice, mouth-coating oiliness while not being too heavy. The finish is lithe but rich, with citrus, taffy, and mineral flavors.
This is a wholly satisfying and easy drinking whisky. I was particularly taken with the surprising amount of body that it had considering its very light color. As well, the flavors that it presented were intriguingly contrasting and eye-opening. It really is a “subtle, delicate, and complex malt”!
*Laing, Robin. The Whisky River, p. 116
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