GlenAllachie 2008 12yr Cask #667

56.9% PX Puncheon - Specially bottled for Abbey Whisky

Abbey Whisky has a solid reputation for having access to, and picking exemplary casks. Their standards are high, and anyone who has tried their previous exclusive cask-picks that span a few distilleries will know this.

This is their first exclusive GlenAllachie single cask bottling in the Billy Walker packaging and is a 2008 12-year-old dark and impactful sherrybomb.

Appearance: Maple syrup with lazy, oily legs.

Nose: Absolutely massive, aromatic, and heady. Heaps of dark & thick, sweet sherry flood out of the glass carrying with it hot bubbling caramel, macerated dark sour cherries, over-ripe fleshy fruit, and melted milk chocolate. In the background, there are notes of chopped nuts.

There's also the unmistakable GlenAllachie signature fruity-oak tone.

Palate: As the nose suggests, the initial taste is big and powerful that just puts a smile on your face. The sweetness of sherry, demerara sugar and fat juicy raisins rush at the senses and coat the mouth, accompanied by a warming pepper-tingle and a distant cinnamon bark note. There's a lovely little oily dryness at the end.

Finish: Really long. It's ever-so-slightly sour at first that moves rapidly to a warming thick sherried sweetness. Gooey caramel sauce and some residual warming spiced-oiliness linger.

Conclusion: No surprises that this was ever going to be anything short of a statement. It's big, powerful, and heavy. And it's punching with a pair of PX-soaked boxing gloves dipped in cake spice. The GlenAllachie DNA is there with aplomb and delivers the drinker with a decadent treat.

Available for £90 exclusively at Abbey Whisky (at the time of writing)