Whisky: Glenallachie 19 Year (1995), Hart Brothers

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 56.7%

Cask: American Oak

Age: 19 Years (Distilled Nov. 1995, Bottled Feb. 2015)

Nose: Ginger, orange, tea, dried grass, molasses, mint, hints of mango and passion fruit syrup, dried plums.

Palate: Medium-bodied, sweet citrus with blood orange, salted plums, yuzu, mango, dried grass, caramel, hints of leather and earthy funk at the end.

Finish: Medium-length with earth, tobacco, and hints of fruit.

Score: 6

Mental Image: Tea Tin Medicinal Cookies

Narrative & Notes: Fruity and gentle, the aroma drifted from sweet candied ginger to molasses cookies to an herbal tea with pit stops along the way for dried fruits. Orange peel led the way, with hints of slightly underripe mango, passion fruit, and dried plums following some distance behind. Dried grass and mint brought my attention back around to tea with hints of cinnamon and turmeric. The palate was medium-bodied with a good viscosity that delivered a wave of orange— blood orange soda, candied orange peel, and bitter orange slices. Salted plums and yuzu pulled the dram toward something more exotic with mango and dried grass. The back end was quite musty as caramel and molasses faded to a leathery-earthy funk. The finish was medium-length and mostly earthy, with hints of tobacco and fruit.

Whiskybase listed this bottle as “American Oak,” but it must have been an American oak cask treated with sherry. The aroma and palate delivered classic sherry-driven fruits and funk— though restrained enough that I would be surprised if this were a first fill cask. It appeared more like a hogshead that had been used a few times and mellowed out its influence over the malt. The effect worked well, and the flavors were generally well-integrated, though the earthiness at the end did stand out a bit. The dram was a tad spirited at times; a bit of prickly heat stood out on the back end especially, but a few drops of water smoothed that out and elevated the sweeter aspects of the profile.

Overall, not a terribly complex malt, but certainly an interesting one. It bore some semblance to more recent and younger Glenallachie releases, yet the role of the cask was more subdued, which allowed more of the spicy-grassy spirit to appear.

Image Credit: Whiskybase