GlenAllachie extends Virgin Oak Series

Speyside distillery GlenAllachie has added three new limited edition whiskies to its Virgin Oak Series, crafted by master blender Billy Walker.

The series debuted in 2020 as a line of three different 12-year-old whiskies aged in Spanish, French and chinquapin casks.

The new additions to the range comprise three Speyside single malts: the 15-year-old Scottish Virgin Oak Finish, the 10-year-old French Virgin Oak Finish, and the 10-year-old Chinquapin Virgin Oak Finish.

Walker said: “Exploring the interaction of virgin oak with our whisky has become a real passion of mine over the last few years, and I feel it’s something that we are really specialising in.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that I am devoted to wood management and sourcing unusual casks, but I believe virgin oak is underexposed in the Scotch whisky industry; something we are eager to change.

“This expansion of our Virgin Oak Series showcases three superb single malts, each with incredibly unique attributes. I’m particularly proud to release a very rare Scottish Virgin Oak bottling; a long-held ambition of mine, with full appreciation of how challenging and expensive it is to work with. The result, in my humble opinion, is genuinely outstanding.”

Each of the original three whiskies in the series were first matured in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels, followed by a second maturation period of 18 months in virgin oak casks, selected by Walker. Meanwhile, the new bottlings have undergone a variety of maturation processes.

The 15-year-old, which retails for RRP £175 (US$230), has been matured in Scottish oak casks, and finished in Sessile oak casks sourced from the coast of the country. The brand said it was one of the few whiskies to ever be matured in Scottish oak.

With a nose of honeycomb and vanilla, the liquid also delivers hints of pine nuts, cinnamon and toffee on the palate. Only 2,250 bottles are available of The GlenAllachie 15-year-old Scottish Virgin Oak Finish.

The 10-year-old French Virgin Oak Finish, a ‘subtly sweet yet earthy malt’, retails for RRP £61.99 (US$82). Boasting aromas of orange peel and soft spice on the nose, the single malt presents flavours of mocha and brittle toffee on the palate, with notes of ginger to finish.

Meanwhile, the 10-year-old Chinquapin Virgin Oak Finish retails for the same price as the French oak finish, but was matured in casks from the Northern Ozark region of Missouri in the US. The whisky delivers hints of butterscotch and liquorice on the nose, followed by a palate of barley sugar and toasted biscuits.

The new whiskies all clock in at 48% ABV. The new additions to the series are available via specialist retailers globally.

Last year, GlenAllachie rolled out a batch of six single malts on a limited basis to UK specialist retailers.