My introduction to Glenallachie was this incredible 35yo, and it probably ruined me, because I will compare every other Glenallachie I taste to that gem. That being said, the Glenallachie I review today is interesting in its own right.
It isn’t nearly as good or complex. And a good ten years younger. But the alcohol percentage is only 42,6 percent, which is very low for a cask strength whisky. It must’ve been a faulty cask, or it has been stored under some special weather circumstances. Whatever the case, I was very curious to try this one.
Glenallachie 1989/2013 (42,6%, Jack Wiebers Whisky World, C#10116)
Nose: The metallic aspect immediately draws attention. It is prominent and stayed that way throughout me nosing it. After a while it does reveal some raisins and chocolate in the background. There is also some damp wood and it is dusty. A hint of vinegar.
Taste: Sweet, almost rum-like. Some cane sugar with green veggies and old wood. Some raisins again with black pepper and cough syrup. Very different.
Finish: Sweet and long.
Rating: 85
What a strange whisky this is. It is wildly unbalanced, but very interesting because of it. I could see people hate or love this whisky. I myself could probably love this whisky one day, and hate it the next. It is a bit two-faced that way. That is also why I landed on 85 as a rating, sort of in between.