Billy Walker und Glenallachie

I did a review of the 6 GlenAllachie bottles that are appearing from Billy Walker's new venture as part of the 50th Anniversary release.
And they are impressive - no real surprise there.
2 of them however, were (for me), particularly outstanding.

Cask #10296
1978 / 55.9% / 39yrs / Sherry Butt
Appearance: Dark Chestnut. Slow, thick & long oily legs.
Nose: Deep, rich & old. Enormous richness of sherry supported by a great waft of waxy furniture polish. Then the rich sweetness turns up a notch with dark, moist prunes, sticky raisins and a dollop of warm custard appear. There’s an aroma of muscovado sugar too. Now more another cascade of that ludicrously rich sherry re-appears. It smells hugely rich, decadent and indulgent. A liquid boozy pudding.
Palate: Thick honeyed sweetness with a big punch of sherry. Nuts and milk chocolate are there, with an oiliness that drapes itself over the tongue and palate. Rich and dried dark cherries now step in, followed by a very gentle warming chilli-studding. It’s every bit as decadent as it sounds.
Finish: Very long and warming. The sweetness from the sherry influence is on-point with the casks’ wood. Beautiful.
Conclusion: Stunning. Beyond question. Absolutely beautiful. Bold yet gentle and extremely confident in its 'refined-ness'. Zero signs of over-oaking or age degrading in this whisky. A triumph of cask selection and what’s inside it.

Cask #986
1989 / 57.7% / 28yrs / Sherry Butt
Appearance: Antique Pine. Thick oily legs.
Nose: Quite aromatic and perfumed, with lots of raisins & soft fruit. Sweet sherry is there in abundance. A nutty element now appears that’s followed by a gentle sourness, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, candied dried fruit peel and a timid spirit tickle. It’s quite unusual, but seems to draw you in.
Palate: Very sweet upfront. Chocolate and a faint nuttiness make a mark, then are totally pushed aside by sherry-galore. A sharper spirit edge creeps in, but brings with it an oiliness.
Finish: Very long & sweet on the tongue, with a slight tingling on the lips.
Conclusion: A lovely 28yr old sherried bombshell. A little too aromatic/perfumed for me if I was going to be super-critical, but it’s impressive nonetheless.

Cask #2587
1989 / 45.4% / 28yrs / Hogshead
Appearance: Deep antique Pine. Thick oily legs.
Nose: Sherry, honeycomb, plump raisins, coco, wax polish, toffee, a carpenter’s workshop…
There’s lot’s going on here and you can really get your nose right into the glass with zero alcohol burn (the lower ABV attributes to this, obviously)
Palate: Expectedly thinner than the previous casks, but give it time and it really begins to open up. A sweet woodiness appears, hand-in-hand with a gentle white pepper warmth. The sherry now gradually imparts its sweetness and the woody-tartness is pushed aside, opening a window to a mellow chocolaty element.
Finish: Long with the influence of sherry supplying a sweetness that ramps up and layers itself with some thickness of oil.
Conclusion: Multi-layered and very rewarding. Give it time in the mouth and its personality starts to shine through, showing a balance of sweetness, gentle tannin-dryness and oil.

Cask #2515
1990 / 44.9% / 27yrs / Sherry Butt
Appearance: Ginger/Medium Pine. Long, thin & slow oily legs
Nose: Quite spirity on the nose, even though it’s the lowest ABV in the series. Maltiness at the forefront, followed by a sour-grape element. Brittle toffee and distant tropical fruit.
Palate: Sweet and woody at the off, transitioning to more dryness on the tongue. A spiced honeyed sweetness then appears, but is too submissive to the initial tartness. I find that the dryness is too dominant for me.
Finish: Long, but the Sweetness doesn’t hang around for too long and is taken over by that dryness that was very present on the palate.
Conclusion: Not as deep and rewarding as I would have hoped. The dry-maltiness is maybe too dominant overall.

Cask #2517
1990 / 54.6% / 27yrs / Sherry Butt
Appearance: Ginger/Medium Pine. Long, thick & slow oily legs
Nose: Varnish fumes, bucket loads of sherry, honey, gentle cakespice.
Palate: Very sherry & dessert wine-sweet. It dances around the mouth with lots of bold richness playfulness. There are even signs of banana fritter drizzled with warm caramel on the tongue. Lovely.
Finish: Long, rich and rewardingly sweet. A gentle fizz from the ABV adds to the enjoyment and experience that’s married perfectly to the sherry influence.
Conclusion: Hugely drinkable. It’s definitely one that you have to hold in the mouth for a long while to let all the flavours dance around. Really lovely!

Cask #100285
1991 / 55% / 26yrs / Hogshead
Appearance: Ginger/Medium Pine. Long, thick & slow oily legs
Nose: Sweet dessert wine, fumes of vanilla & caramel, Almonds, raisins, and……. Dime Bar
Palate: A lovely sherried sweetness appears on the tongue immediately, and then side-steps to reveal some agreeable tart tannins and mouth drying action. There’s a faint wisp of tropical fruit (Mango), and nutty chocolate as well. More toffee appears, that eventually dries off.
Finish: Long and sweet at the intro, that then moves over to a pepper-spiced dryness. The mouth is left with a nice layer of oiliness.
Conclusion: The ‘fruitiest’ of the lineup.

Link zum Posting in der Sherrybomb Appreciation Society

Waschbär schrieb:

Mal sehen, was ein premium quality yet affordable bei einem 25jährigne Glenallachie an Preis bedeutet. Außerdem haben die überwiegen Ex-Bourbon auf Lager, oder? Also nicht unbedingt mein Beuteschema.