After being blown away by the offerings at the Gordon & MacPhail booth – both discovery & Connoisseurs Choice – we needed a wee “bread, butter & cheese” break at Paris Whisky Live. Apparently, this is a “must” to serve booze – something to soak up a bit of the alcohol. Naturally, as this was Paris everything was insanely delicious!

Fortified and ready to head back into the fray, I thought what better way to continue than GlenAllachie! Why? Aside from their producing some damn fine drams, it was also the “lure’ of briefly catching up with Juliette Buchan – who I had first met in Singapore at Whisky Live when she was with Gordon & Macphail – see? Fitting.

We last met in person at Nurnberg’s The Village Whisky festival in early 2020 before everything locked down. It was such a contrast from the usual male-dominated whisky experiences to join the fabulous Sharing Angels – a diverse group of dram dames that meet up at various whisky events around Germany!

After that, things were rather quiet so I was thrilled to catch a virtual tasting of GlenAlachie whiskies with Juliette & Richard in Dec 2021 – and promptly acquired a quartet which are patiently waiting for the right tasting opportunity.

On offer in Paris was a rather nice quartet:

• GlenAllachie 8 year 46% (approx Eur 47)
• GlenAllachie 10 year Batch 7, 56.8% (approx Eur 58)
• GlenAllachie 12 year 46% & GlenAllachie 15 year 46% – Both of which I skipped as had sampled in the virtual tasting plus have closed bottles waiting at home in Deutschland

At Juliette’s suggestion, I went straight to the 10-year cask strength which she shared was first matured in Virgin Oak before being finished in red wine casks.

• Colour – So deep, it veered on walnut wood!
• Nose – Forest feeling, leafy, nutty, honey-sweet, heavy dry fruits
• Palate – Rich chocolate, flavourful, juicy, ginger – yum!
• Finish – Sweet finish
• Water – Opens up beautifully – fab!

There was no ignoring this dram! Full-bodied, and bursting with flavour, it was a concentrated dose of yummy goodness.

I then moved on to the 8 year which was matured in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry puncheons along with a small quantity of Virgin Oak casks and red wine barriques:

• Colour – Dark bronze
• Nose – Punchier than the 10 year, however also fresh, fruity, young and lighter
• Palate – Soft at first then builds – think of creamy butterscotch ice cream with flecks of nuts and candied ginger
• Finish – Here is where the sherry and wine influence is most pronounced

Curious about other GlenAllachie tasting experiences? Check out:

• 11 year Madeira Barrique Cask bottled for whic.de 60.7%
• 12 year 46%
• 12 year French Virgin Oak 48%
• 12 year Marsala Wood Finish 48%
• 14 year 43% (G&MP Discovery)
• 15 year 46%

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