I am super intrigued by this single cask bottling of Glenallachie from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ("SMWS"). Released with the nickname "Aromatic and Substantial" in the September outturn, it's the second Glenallachie bottle I've had from SMWS. The first was a young, brash, characterful 8 year that had a really great umami/meaty overtone and was totally matured in a sherry butt.
This bottle was also initially matured in an ex-oloroso sherry butt, but transferred for another four years (!) into a second-fill toasted butt. I am hoping for a little bit of wispy smoke, with all that time among the toasted wood. Here are the official tasting notes:
Mixed dried fruits, cinder toffee, butterscotch sauce and sticky toffee pudding next to tropical banana plantations and toasted oak made this a fascinating experience on the nose. Very sweet and very woody (in a good way!) on the palate, rum and raisin, plum & lavender jam as well as candied dark cherries while in the finish an oily piney spicey punch. Diluted the scent of fresh eucalyptus was soon followed by spicy naan bread, ginger cake and dates, while to taste sweet and herbal with the chewy texture of beef jerky. After five years in an ex-oloroso butt, we transferred this whisky into a second fill toasted butt.
Bottled at an astounding 67.2% (holy smokes, probably the hottest I can remember having), I am particularly interested in "cinder toffee," "banana plantations," and "plum & lavender jam" - wow! Yes, please. It also hints at the same meaty umami notes I remembered from the other bottle I had. If this delivers even 50% of these tasting notes, I'll be very happy. Let's dig in:
Nose: Interesting - despite the extremely high alcohol content, this is a rather muted nose. I get berries, heaps of overripe banana, salted caramel, and a tiny bit of smoke. I'm sure there are other flavors roiling around in here, I'll add some water and let it sit for a while...
...with some water and time in the glass: sweet orange oil emerges. Rich vanilla and caramel. Flambeed banana. It's so powerful at 67.2% that even with a bit of water, it presents almost exactly the same. Potent. After a long while, and deeper in the bottle, you get some resinous sherry and some nuttiness which are welcome.
Mouthfeel: Silky, medium body.
Palate: Wow is this sweet! AND powerful - all the alcohol missing on the nose comes straight through and numbs the tongue if you're not careful. Very strong, almost medicinally strong. Super sweet - I get thick caramel, oak grain (the official notes aren't kidding, this is very oaky), rich red fruits (sure, plums and cherries), and ... pipe tobacco?? The rich, oily kind. Extremely flavorful. At the very end of the development is a floral note and a meaty note, but both are faint.
With water - A little more sherry, a little more smoke. Very pleasant, and the burn is reduced. Recommended to add a splash.
Finish: Medium length, lots of oak, a tiny bit of smoke or ash, and a general warming sweetness. The smoke stays on the tongue for quite a while afterward - pleasant.
Verdict: This is fascinating. The nine years feels quite a bit older - more like a 12 year or even a 14-15 year. Whatever they were doing moving it from the original sherry butt to the 2nd fill toasted butt... worked. This is quite well balanced, and has some very very pleasant angles to it. I like this even more than the last SMWS Glenallachie I had. Very nice! And excellent Autumn sipper - this was released at exactly the right time.
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