GlenAllachie 9 Y.o. wine series cuvee cask finish 2012 Vol.48% Cl.70

GlenAllachie Distillery, led by Scotch whiskey icon Billy Walker, today introduces its latest product innovation: The GlenAllachie 2012 Vintage Cuvée Wine Cask Finish.

The GlenAllachie 2012 Vintage Cuvée Wine Cask Finish 9 Year Aging combines single malt finished in casks that previously held four premium European red wine types: Languedoc, Recioto Della Valpolicella and two undisclosed Premier Cru Classés.

A French term, "Cuvée," is used in the wine industry to refer to a blend that typically includes more than one grape variety.

The Speyside-based distillery applied the description to whiskey "combining single malt matured in wine casks from multiple cellars".

After the primary maturation in ex-Bourbon American oak barrels, the distillate underwent over 20 months of further aging in the various wine barriques inside the internal warehouses of the distillery.

The casks have been expertly sourced from four fine cellars located in world-renowned regions in France and Italy by distinguished whiskey maker Walker, thanks to his exceptional network of connections with niche producers.

A Whiskey Magazine Hall of Fame inductee, the esteemed master distiller, known for his talent for innovating wood, celebrated last year reaching half a century in the Scotch whiskey industry.

After Walker determined that the finishing period had provided the optimum influence, the whiskey was expertly blended to form the Cuvée Wine Cask Finish.

The Languedoc casks are said to impart notes of "red fruits, sweet spices and aromatic herbs"; while the Recioto Della Valpolicella, produced in Verona, Italy, brings "ripe cherries, coconut flakes, licorice coulis and raspberries"; and the Premier Cru Classé wood brings “blackcurrant, espresso and wild truffle” to the table.

Bottled at 48% alcohol, the Vintage 2012 bronze liquid is presented without the addition of colorants and uncooled filtered; a philosophy that the distillery proudly adopts in all its products.

Looking at this first launch of 2023, Walker reveals:

“As an avid wine lover, devising a Cuvée has been nothing short of a dream project. I am fortunate to have long-standing relationships with premium winemakers across Europe, which has opened the door for us to create a whiskey of intricate appeal.

“As a blender at heart, identifying wine styles that mesh well together and capture distinctive qualities was a fun challenge. They say, 'never mix grapes and wheat', but I say this marriage is a marriage made in heaven.

Tasting notes:

Color: golden bronze.

Nose: Full of orange blossom, espresso, maraschino cherries and honeysuckle, with hints of candied stone fruit, hazelnuts, lavender and cinnamon.

Taste: Waves of dark chocolate, red currants and burnt coffee beans, followed by crystallized almonds, blackberries and orange peel, with ginger and licorice on the finish.

We recommend pairing The GlenAllachie 2012 Vintage Cuvée Wine Cask Finish with an excellent Oliva series V Robusto cigar, while for slow smoke enthusiasts with a Peterson University Flake.