STRAWBERRIES IN THE CHÂTEAU CELLAR – Score: 7/10
Few people in Scotch whisky play with casks as enthusiastically as Billy Walker. Since he and his partners took over GlenAllachie in 2017 – a Speyside distillery built in 1967 and long kept busy filling casks for blends – the range has grown into a small library of wood experiments. This 11-year-old belongs to the wine-finish shelf: matured, then finished in casks that previously held Bordeaux Premier Cru Classé wine, and bottled at 48% ABV without fuss.
Pour it and the wine influence is obvious within seconds. Ripe strawberry leads the way, juicy and slightly jammy, sitting on a base of polished oak. Then come walnuts, a cool hint of mint that lifts the whole picture, and a dusting of cocoa powder in the background, like someone opened a box of chocolates at the far end of the room.
The palate stays faithful to the nose. Strawberry and cocoa make a convincing dessert pairing, the walnuts bring a drier, slightly bitter edge, and the oak takes a firmer grip as the finish arrives, with the mint flickering back at the very end. It is well constructed and generous, though the wood sometimes speaks a little louder than the spirit. A grand cru dressing on a sturdy Speyside frame – enjoyable, if not quite a first growth itself.
