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Billy Walker
displays his wood management knowledge
and experience with the launch of a new
GlenAllachie Wood Finish range.
The GlenAllachie Distillery has
announced that it is extending its range
of whiskies with the launch of its
first-ever range of limited edition wood
finishes.
The GlenAllachie Wood Finish range
comprises the GlenAllachie 8 year old
Koval Rye Quarter Cask Wood Finish; the
GlenAllachie 10 year old Port Wood
Finish; and the GlenAllachie 12 year old
Pedro Ximenez Sherry Wood Finish.
This trio of signature expressions from
The GlenAllachie Distillery are Master
Distiller, Billy Walker's creative
handiwork and are said to highlight his
wood management expertise.
The GlenAllachie 8 year old Koval Rye
Quarter Cask Wood Finish which has a RRP
of £54.99 was first matured in American
oak wood barrels and then underwent an
additional maturation period in organic
Rye quarter casks from Chicago’s Koval
Distillery. The greater liquid-to-wood
ratio in the smaller casks means that
the rich spicy flavour of the Rye is
released more rapidly.
With its distinctive ruby red colour,
the GlenAllachie 10 year old Port Wood
Finish which has a RRP of £54.99 was
first matured in American oak barrels
before being re-racked into vintage Ruby
Port wood pipes sourced in North
Portugal. GlenAllachie say that the Port
wood influence has added flavour, depth
and complexity to the whisky, with sweet
notes of heather honey, butterscotch and
treacle.
The GlenAllachie 12 year old Pedro
Ximenez Sherry Wood Finish, RRP £58.99,
is described as a rich sumptuous whisky
with great depth. This whisky was
matured for over ten years in American
oak wood barrels before its additional
maturation in Pedro Ximenez puncheons.
This process enriches the flavour,
creating a sweeter, fruitier whisky.
 To create the new range of wood
finishes, Walker first hand-selected
barrels from among the 50,000 casks in
the 16 warehouses on site at the
distillery near Aberlour for the
additional maturation period. Casks were
sourced from a variety of bodegas and
distilleries that shared Walker’s
culture of careful wood management and
with whom he had established
relationships with through his long
career in the whisky industry.
The length of time spent in each of the
special casks varies, with Walker
constantly monitoring the whisky to
decide when it’s ready.
Commenting on the new range, Walker
said: "I’m incredibly excited to unveil
this new range featuring GlenAllachie's
first-ever range of wood finishes. Wood
management is something I’m very
passionate about and we invest a
substantial amount of time and money
into sourcing exceptional casks from all
around the world. I look for casks that
will complement and enhance the
GlenAllachie spirit, with the different
woods making a greater, or sometimes
subtle, influence, and taking us on a
journey of new flavours.
"The rich golden Rye Quarter Cask
delivers a hit of spice and cloves with
classic GlenAllachie characteristics of
honey and butterscotch, whereas the ruby
red Port Pipe has a sweeter and fruitier
flavour, with honey, damson and rose
hips. Finally the Pedro Ximenez, deep
rich mahogany in colour, delivers what
the eye promises; raisins, sultanas,
toffee and dark chocolate. With this
first release you can see the impact
that a quality and carefully chosen cask
can have on our whisky, from the amazing
array of colours to the intensity of
flavours in the final whisky.’"
All
three of the whiskies in the
GlenAllachie Wood Finish range are
naturally coloured, non chill filtered
and have been bottled at 48% ABV, the
new range is already available from
Master of Malt and should soon be available from
other specialist online whisky
retailers such as
The Whisky Exchange and
The Whisky Shop
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