Review #158 - GlenAllachie 30 Year
When we saw this on the shelf at a local specialty bar, we had to give it a try - it's not often we get to try any 30+ year old single malt, especially from a distillery so 'in vogue' as GlenAllachie is right now. The price for a small pour was reasonable, so we pulled the trigger.
This bottle we tried is specifically from Batch 1 of their 30 year single malt, bottled in 2021 at a strength of 48.9% ABV. Because of the timing of this release, it definitely has Billy Walker's fingerprints on it - based on his usual style, and the history of GlenAllachie's spirit before Billy was involved, this probably spent the majority of its life aging in some tired casks before being re-racked into more potent wine casks for finishing. The third batch, currently available, employs PX, Oloroso, and virgin oak casks for finishing - we're guessing this first batch was similar.
GlenAllachie 30 Year
Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 1,006 (2023)
Age Statement: 30 Years
Strength: 48.9% ABV
Details: Not chill filtered, no color added; Batch 1, bottled 2021-04-15
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 40% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Very rich and dark - milk chocolate and tobacco to start, but soon we get concentrated orange oil and dark, inky red fruits, like strawberry and cherry. There's some molasses sugar, but also a musty, damp old oak, with a hint of wood polish.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium; still rich and oaky, with sharper tannins balanced by a creamy texture. Fruity notes come from tart cherry but also inky dark cherry, maybe some pomegranate, and a savory orange; with time, the polished old furniture oak from the nose reappears.
Finish: Medium-long, subtle, and quite oily. The oak is drying and strong at this point, and there are aftertastes of tobacco and leather later on.
Final Note: Really nice, and plenty of cask influence, although a lot of that may have come from those potent finishing casks. The dark red fruits point to some sherry cask maturation, but there are those nice semi-bitter tobacco notes that come mostly from longer wood maturation. Of course, the trick here is the price - unless you somehow manage to find one of these at a friendly retailer, you're looking at paying over $1,000; nothing in that range can be great value.
Our Average Rating: 8.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 3.19
Check out our other GlenAllachie reviews:
