I have here the standard 12yo of Glenallachie, which by the way is an integrity bottling (i.e. natural colour, non-chillfiltered), good on them! And yummy for us. It’s been in my cupboard for a bit over a year since the (in)famous first whisky tasting / super-spreader event I hosted for my colleagues, and it’s nearing a bottle kill. Perhaps it’s sat a bit too long at low fill level already.
I also have a single cask sample bottled by Santa Claus (i.e. from my Single Malts of Scotland advent calendar) that I thought would make for an informative comparison. Is an independent bottling, usually more expensive and enthusiast-oriented, really a hike up from a well-crafted core range offering?
Whisky review
Glenallachie 12yo 46% Official Bottling
Natural Colour • Non-Chillfiltered • Oloroso, PX, & Virgin Oak
70cl bottle bought for €39,90
⚡Experience
A sherried nose: cinnamon, vanilla, clove, milk chocolate, baked apples, dark bread loaf, hazelnut, autumn leaves. Also some banana. Against these richer aromas, citric freshness. On the palate, the tastes are bitter and sour foremost, some drying oakiness, and just touch of salty and sweet. The flavours are consistent with the nose, and vibrant. Once the finish overcomes the acidity, it leaves a pleasant trail of gooseberry, chocolate and very mild tobacco.
⚖️Verdict
A competent whisky, that is definitely not bland, but nor does it wow or woo me. I suspect the bitter-sour taste will be perceived as either invigorating or too tart, depending on the drinker and their expectations from a sherried Speysider. Personally, I’m I lean towards the first camp.
⭐Notable Quality
Whisky review
Glenallachie 10yo 2011 60.7% Elixir Distillers
Single Cask #900222
3cl sample from advent calendar
⚡Experience
The nose goes along the lines of the 12yo, but is more closed and boozy at the feisty 60.7% (we are going to need some water here, eventually). The chocolate note is now 85% cocoa. Let’s taste it neat. Intense! Cherries and coffee. There is an oily, buttery aspect to both mouthfeel and flavour that is not present in the 12yo. This lingers long in the finish, and with time in the glass, appears also on the nose. A dollop of water takes the edge off the booze. A very faint smoky note is then to be found, probably from the inside charring of the cask.
⚖️Verdict
The unctuous, oily character adds a dimension over the 12yo that I think complements the other tastes well. This, ultimately, wins me over, although some of the nose’s subtlety gets lots in the increased ABV. To be truly memorable, I would like to see something a little unexpected flavour-wise, that is not so clearly sherry-derived. For those who sigh over ‘modern’ sherry drams, this one will not be a hit. Nonetheless:
⭐Notable Quality
This round is thus won by the single cask over the official bottling. But which one is the best value for money? I paid €39,90 for the 12yo in early 2022, but a typical online price now is more like €45 – 50 in Germany. The specific cask of the 10yo SMoS was bottled entirely for the advent calendar, so doesn’t have a bottle price, but a different cask very similar on paper goes for €59,90 a bottle in Germany, which, in comparison, strikes me as more than reasonable. Additionally, there’s an official 10yo cask strength bottling for just over €60 that might be an even more interesting comparison. But in any case I’d rather spend my €60 on something completely different.
DuckDrams 
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