GlenAllachie 10 Year Cask Strength Batch 7

Review #034 Type: single malt scotch Proof: 56.8% Comments: aged 10 years, ex-pedro ximenez, ex-oloroso, virgin oak, and ex-Rioja casks Tasted after: Glenallachie 13 Year Madeira Wood Finish Appearance (no score): Burnt umber color. Was Unable to look for legs due to an apparent water-repellent coating on the glass I was tasting with. Nose: 17/20 Plumbs, figs and raisins initially dominate a syrupy sweet aroma. After some rest and more time nosing it starts to reveal some red wine tannins and ripe pears also. It walks the line of smelling sweet without coming across as sickeningly sweet. Palate: 32/40 Syrupy and very sweet, almost like cough syrup but without the medicinal menthol element. Looking past that I’m also getting cherries, honey, strawberry preserves, and dark chocolate. Finish: 32/40 Long finish. The cough syrup sweetness from the palate never really goes away, but some chili pepper heat spice things up a bit and get things started. That fades away to oak spices and leather before finally transitioning to a menthol flavored ending. The finish is nice but the ending menthol flavor left behind in my mouth makes this too medicinal for me. With Water: A drop of water brings out some extra spices, nutmeg on the palate, then cinnamon and oak spice in the finish, also minimizing the ending menthol flavor. Total: 81/100 Final thoughts: It’s just too sweet, it’s very good but not well balanced, a drop of water is needed to bring it to a truly enjoyable state. Thanks to my brother @Mark-Watson2 for the sample. Price: gifted sample Would recommend: no Would buy: no Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.

This will make my 3rd bottle of Glenallachie...a distillery I haven't yet bonded with. This time around it is the 7th edition of these 10 year old CS bottles. This one had a staggering 60,000 bottles made, massively up from what was already a huge release for batch 6. I've already got all kinds of concerns about quality with that kind of production increase. This has the same formula of the last few release. PX, Oloroso, virgin oak, and some kind of red wine cask (I think it's red). Sounds a bit messy, but I'm hoping it's going to impress me. Nose - I smells like some kind of medicinal oak to start and then I start getting rancid red wine notes. There's horse hair and blankets. I'm unfortunately not thinking "oh something went wrong" because I had the 15 year which while much more enjoyable, certainly gave me some similar profile notes. Even the 29 year old single cask I have gives me similar "WTF" oak notes. Powering through the unpleant oak and wine, I get nice berries, hints of chocolate, and frankly a nice sherry element. I'm starting to think some of these off notes are their malt though I seem to recall having an ex bourbon IB that was fairly nice. Taste - The taste thankfully is much less difficult. Sweet, warming, rich and complex flavors really rush to you surface, I'll need some time to address these. Right off the batch it's chocolate and sherry goodness with a thick sweet malt. That then meetes some umami/wine and heavy oak...this combined with a nutty and barn like malt element. I'm thinking some kind of steak sauce meets farm elements, meets baking chocolate, and then just big old oak elements. I can't say I hate it, but I can't say I want to drink it either. Heavy water brings it into more of a chocolate oak with a bit of still and butter scotch and still some barn funk. I think I like it more with the heavy water? Guys I have nothing on how to score this. I'll give it a 1.5. It's under 100 bucks in the UK. It's CS and the color is at least natural. For that alone I guess it's ok. But I don't really understand who is looking for this whisky.

(Good Spirits Co. Glasgow – Virtual Whisky Tasting, 18 March 2022). Nose: Dried fruit, baking spices, cinnamon, coffee, molasses, orange, milk chocolate Palate: Dark chocolate, raisins, dried figs, plums, peach. There's a vanilla and orange undertone which is dominated by the sherry finishing. Finish: Long finish. PX sherry, chocolate, coffee, mocha, raisins and cherries. Leather and dry tannic oak on the aftertaste. Big and complex. Sweet, coffee and chocolate are dominant, but there are subtleties - peach, orange, port and vanilla. There is a lot going on here. Another great Glenallachie sherry bomb. Quaffable for a 56.8% whisky! Exceptionally drinkable. Came joint last out of the six drams, with 0% of the final vote for favourite of the night. 87% of those present said they enjoyed the whisky.

Nose: vanilla, clove, cinnamon, cherry, gig Mouth: caramel, sherry, sweet. Finish: some burn, long, Water didnt change much. Its very good but hard to explain why. 7.5

Does not feel like 57% abv. Milk chocolate, Honey, Dried fruits, Prune, a little spice. The smell and taste shows more influence from Pedro Ximenez. And I loved it.

Nose: honey, figs, plums Palate: sherry, fruit cake Finish: more stewed fruits. very smooth Nice sherry forward scotch with good balance. Drinks below its proof.