Glenallachie 7 Year Battlehill (Duncan Taylor)

Number 65 on the SDT is Glenallachie. This Speyside distillery is relatively new, founded in 1967. It is mainly used in Chivas Brothers blends. It has had multiple owners, with the most recent sale in 2017 to Billy Walker and other investors, forming the GlenAllachie Distillers Company Limited. Enough history, let's discuss the bottle. This bottle is from independent bottlers Duncan Taylor, part of their Battlehill single malt line. This 7-year-old is bottled at 55% ABV. While not explicitly stated, I suspect it is non chill filtered and naturally colored, appearing yellow-gold. Only 1200 bottles were produced. The aroma begins with a rich, powerful sherry. Initially, it reminds me of a 60/40 mix of Glenfarclas and Macallan. Nutty notes, perhaps Brazil nuts or hazelnuts, are present. It's quite fruity, with notes of raisins, dates, cherries, oranges, tangerines, grilled plums, red apple skins, red grapes, and red berries – quite a fruit medley. Brown sugar, barley sugar, toffee, and caramel are complemented by a light mint. Wood spices like cinnamon, clove, and ginger emerge. Dark chocolate with a hint of cayenne pepper is detectable. Honey, heavily charred oak, and a slightly vegetal/green pepper note are also present. It's surprisingly complex for only 7 years in the cask. On the palate, it's intense and peppery at first, as expected at 55% ABV. Sherried oak, toffee, and caramel flavors come through, along with oranges, dates, cherries, and chocolate. There's a slight bitterness from oak tannins. Adding a dash of water reduces the bitterness and reveals notes of light tobacco and toasted nuts. The mouthfeel is medium to full-bodied, thick, and oily. The finish is medium in length, featuring toffee, sherry, tannins, oranges, and oak. I must admit, this is considerably better than I anticipated for a 7-year-old independent bottling. It offers great value for a 55% ABV single malt at just $55. It's unfortunate that the quality among independent bottlings varies so much. If the palate didn't have that bitterness, this would have earned a higher score. As it stands, it's a solid 4. Cheers

I'm aiming to get back into our distillery sample group routine. Lately, I've been quite occupied with a lot of work, overtime, and acquiring numerous new bottles that I lack the time or funds for. I suspect I have a problem with my spending on whisky. Anyways, I'm finally attempting to get back into sampling. Next up, a Speyside distillery: Glenallachie. This particular bottle is from Duncan Taylor's Battlehill independent collection. It's a 7-year-old expression bottled at 55% ABV cask strength. I believe this one has no added color and is also non-chill filtered. In the Glencairn glass, it presents a deep, mellow gold color and appears quite oily. The nose initially offered some dominant notes like ex-bourbon cask: spicy, black pepper, and charred oak. After some time and settling, the true sherry cask maturation emerges: sweet berries, dark raisin with a touch of lemon zest. It's still a bit disorganized as the notes seem to cycle through the glass without connection. One moment it's this, the next it's something else. Lacking harmony. The palate is mostly youthful - spicy oak barrel and excessively bitter. However, it is oily, causing the negative aspects to linger. The mid-palate shifts towards toffee and roasted nuts, but it arrives too late, and I'm really eager for it to conclude. The finish is short to medium and remains bitter until hints of orange marmalade and toffee are left behind. A shrug. Overall, this one is too "all over the place" for my taste. The oily youthfulness allows flavors that would typically be subdued to persist. That's the main drawback here, in my opinion. If this one just did its thing and moved on, I could overlook some of the flaws, perhaps attribute them mostly to the spirit's age, whatever. Thanks to a friend for sending this so we could move closer to our goal, but this one falls short. 2.5 stars because I'm feeling a bit generous. Cheers.

This dram was shared with the tasting group by a friend. Glenallchie 7 year, bottled by Duncan Taylor. What can be expected from this drink? Initial scents are of nuts, fruit, and tropical notes. Walnuts, pecans, pears, apples, fresh cut pineapple, coconut, and apricots are present. A hint of cinnamon spice joins vanilla and caramel. The sherry character becomes more noticeable as it sits. An acetone aroma is present and detracts from the primary scents. The first taste brings a powerful wave of peppery spice and oak. After the palate adjusts, a rough, oily bitterness dominates, masking nearly all other tastes. A subtle hint of caramel sweetness and toasted nuts briefly surfaces from the bitterness. The finish returns with another surge of sharp spice. The finish leaves the palate feeling bitter, dry, and brief: notes of orange peel and oak. It's muddled and lacks direction. The nose shows promise but lacks substance. The palate offers no real flavor beyond bitterness. It might improve with age or perhaps more active casks? [82/100][Tasted: 5/11/18]

A sample provided by a friend for our tasting group. Have you ever encountered a tropical fruit known as durian? It's a large fruit with a tough green exterior and a yellow, fleshy interior, mainly grown in Southeast Asia. Its odor is incredibly unpleasant and fungal, but the taste is decent once you get past the smell. This reminded me of that. The smell was unbearable – vegetal and fungal, with a plastic-like quality. I genuinely struggled with the aroma. The taste, however, was not bad. Hazelnuts and toffee; peppery, spicy. The finish is quick and somewhat bitter. It's just not for me; I can't overcome the smell. I acknowledge it and move to the next sample...

The nose brought a huge note of pine, along with lemongrass, and vanilla. Hmm, the palate brings more lemons, meringue, custard, cream, butter, and some vegetative properties. The finish was short and tangy. Not my cup of tea, but if you like lemon tarts, it might be up your alley. 2.5 for me. The theme song has got to be “Lemon” by Macphisto... or should I say U2. Not a fave, but thanks so much for the sample from a friend! This dram blows my mind because everyone is getting totally different things from it.

Very distinct. Intense flavor