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GlenAllachie debuts two whiskies
By Alice BrookerSpeyside distillery GlenAllachie has added two core whiskies to its portfolio: an eight-year-old and a 15-year-old.
Each bottled at 46% ABV, GlenAllachie 8 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky and White Heather 15 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky were developed by master blender Billy Walker.
He commented: “From the outset, it has been my aim to release quality whiskies at fair and accessible price points. This can be a significant challenge when you also choose to deploy an extensive and costly wood management policy, however I believe The GlenAllachie eight-year-old fits the bill without any compromises or corner-cutting.”
The eight-year-old marries together spirit aged in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso Sherry puncheons, along with virgin oak casks and red wine barriques.
The liquid boasts a heather honey character, and delivers rich notes of stem ginger, mint chocolate and chewy raisins.
Meanwhile, the White Heather bottling contains both peated and unpeated malts blended together, along with grain whiskies.
In March last year, GlenAllachie recreated the White Heather blended Scotch brand, which was discontinued in the 1980s.
Walker added: “In terms of White Heather, this has been a real passion project for me. It takes me back to my first forays in the industry and allows me to select and blend whiskies from across Scotland in order to achieve the intended flavour profile.
“I hold a strong belief that interest in the premium blend category is growing, and we very much want to be at the forefront of it with White Heather.”
The whisky underwent dual maturation in Sherry butts and American oak barrels, followed by being re-racked into Pedro Ximénez and oloroso Sherry puncheons, as well as American virgin oak casks for an additional three years.
On the nose, White Heather presents waves of butterscotch, orange peel and pineapple, while the palate delivers the taste of grapefruit, almonds, mocha and ginger.
The eight-year-old can be purchased for RRP £42.50 (US$55.27), while the 15-year-old retails for RRP £59.99 (US$78.02) through global specialist retailers.
Earlier this year, the brand added three new limited edition bottlings to its Virgin Oak Series, also crafted by Walker who celebrates his 50th anniversary in Scotch whisky this year.