Cadenhead Original GlenAllachie 10 Year

Tasting Notes

Producer Tasting Note

Nose: Walnuts, caramel, sandalwood, crème brûlée, gorse.

Flavour: Rich. Malty, white grapes, almonds, stem ginger.

Finish: Orchard fruits, kiwi skins, cinnamon.

Distillery

Adapted from an article written for the August 2018 Issue of Celtic Life Magazine by Andrew Ferguson:

Like many an Anorach - an extreme subspecies of whisky nerd - I was gutted when I heard the news that Billy Walker and his team had sold the BenRiach Distillery Co. to Brown Forman two years ago. For the previous 12 years, BenRiach, and its sister distillery Glendronach, were two of the most dynamic and innovative of Scotland’s distilleries.

They catered their brands not just to the general public but also to whisky aficionados and collectors, with interesting limited releases and lots of single casks. What I didn’t know at the time was that Walker didn’t want to sell. His partners, however, wanted out, and the Brown Forman offer was just too good to turn down.

I recently bumped into Walker during my first ever visit to the GlenAllachie Distillery. In the 12 years that I had worked closely with his other brands, our paths had come close to crossing, but we had never actually met. Walker and a new consortium were still digesting their purchase of the GlenAllachie Distillery in late 2017. After selling The BenRiach Distillery Co. the year prior, Walker told me that he was eager to find a new project. He approached Pernod Ricard, from whom he had bought BenRiach (2004) and Glendronach (2008), with a proposition to help them bring their Scapa single malt from the Orkneys more to the fore. The offer was politely rebuffed, but they came up with a tantalizing counter; would he be interested in buying GlenAllachie Distillery? The answer to that question should now be self-evident.

GlenAllachie Distillery was built in 1967 at the height of a major whisky boom, opening a year later just outside the Speyside village of Aberlour. The distillery was commissioned by Mackinlay McPherson, the company which had provisioned Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expedition with whisky in 1907. Blended scotch whisky skyrocketed in demand through the 1960s and early 1970s, prompting producers to increase capacity and lay down ever-increasing stocks of malt whisky. The industry, however, way over-shot the mark.

Distilleries that had either just gone through major upgrades, or which - like GlenAllachie - had only opened a couple of decades earlier, were permanently closed, mothballed or sold. GlenAllachie shut its doors in 1985 but would reopen just 4 years later under new ownership. The distillery was relatively new and modern by Scottish standards, and an attractive acquisition for a company looking for a workhorse to serve their blends.

Under the ownership of Pernod Ricard, the whisky became an important component of the Chivas Regal blends. Only a handful of official single malt bottlings were ever released, primarily under the Chivas Cask Strength label. These whiskies were not readily available, however, and independent bottlings have been surprisingly rare.

As part of the acquisition, GlenAllachie’s new owners assumed nearly 50,000 casks of maturing spirit. True to fashion, Walker was quick to sort out which casks were maturing nicely, and which needed to be re-racked into better quality wood. As with Glendronach and BenRiach, different cask types were acquired for finishing and maturation. He has also tinkered with GlenAllachie’s new make of spirit, telling me “the spirit is good, but I can make it even better!” GlenAllachie has always been known as a big, though soft and fruity malt. Under the new stewardship, GlenAllachie has slowed its fermentation and distillation to encourage an even fruitier, though more muscular spirit. The facility is also now laying down casks of peated spirit - about 20 per cent of total current production.

The distillery is not yet set up to receive visitors, though they have made some exceptions for friends in the trade. A visitor center is planned, but its construction is still some time off as well. Consumers won’t need to wait too long to start seeing expressions of the whisky however; a core range of 10, 12, 18 and 25-year-old whiskies is being rolled out 
in Canada this fall. I had a chance to sample both the 12 and 25-year-olds with Walker at the distillery, and they did not disappoint!

Independent Bottler

This text is from an article written by Andrew for Celtic Life Magazine in 2017.

As strange as it may sound, it is only in the last three to five decades that most distilleries have seen fit to bottle their own whiskies as single malts. Prior to that, the vast majority of whiskies distilled in Scotland were produced almost exclusively for blends. With few exceptions, most of the available single malts prior to the 1970s were bottled by independent bottlers like Gordon Macphail and WM Cadenhead. Distilleries like Glenfiddich, Macallan, Glenmorangie, Bowmore and Glenlivet began bottling their whiskies as single malts and exporting them globally, in the 1960s. Other distilleries would follow in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Some products - like John Dewar & Sons’ “The Last Great Malts” series - have only been launched in the last few years.

Independent bottlings are whiskies bottled by a third party and not the distillery which produced them. Not all distilleries actually bottle their whiskies as single malts and many that do, have limited ranges. Independent bottlings fill this niche in the market, generally releasing single casks and small batch single malts that can vary enormously from the distillery’s core offering. If you are a devoted single malt aficionado, chances are you’ve come across more than a few independent bottlings in your day. If you haven’t yet dipped your toes into the world of independent bottlings, then you may be missing out on some of the world’s finest whisky, and it is high time you took a look at what they have to offer.

The oldest - and one of the finest - of all the independents is WM Cadenhead’s. Established in 1842, Cadenhead’s, as they are affectionately known, is a stubbornly traditional firm, with an exceptional range of whiskies. Along with Gordon Macphail, Cadenhead’s is one of Scotland’s best independent bottlers, with a range of old whiskies that is envied by the rest of the industry. Until the last few years, Cadenhead whiskies were only available from their network of shops in the U.K. and Europe. The Small Batch line was created four years ago to satiate selected whisky specialists around the world, and to distribute the company’s aging overstock.

WM Cadenhead was acquired by J.A. Mitchell & Co. in 1972, the family-owned firm which also owns the Springbank and Glengyle distilleries. After acquiring Cadenhead’s, and its stocks of maturing whisky, Hedley Wright - J.A. Mitchell’s colourful chairman and owner - is said to have spent the next few decades wandering Scotland with his check book. Wright made frequent visits to “his friends” at various distilleries across Scotland, purchasing casks as he went. Hedley kept track of his acquisitions on a series of ledgers, releasing casks bit by bit to the team at Cadenhead’s for bottling. To this day, the firm doesn’t even know the full extent of the casks they are sitting on. However, so long as Hedley keeps the flow of rare and old whiskies coming, Cadenhead’s will continue to be one of Scotland’s most interesting independent bottlers.

Today, Cadenhead’s is headquartered in the scenic coastal town of Campbeltown on the Kintyre Peninsula, within walking distance from its sister businesses, the Springbank and Glengyle (Kilkerran) distilleries. The Cadenhead’s Shop and Whisky Tasting Room serves as a visitor center and retailer for the three brands. They offer daily tours and tastings Monday to Saturday. While Springbank Distillery may be the main draw, the Cadenhead Warehouse tour is not to be missed. Mark and or Cameron will take you into the bowels of a dark, dingy old dunnage warehouse to sample some stunning whiskies, right out of the cask.

Campbeltown is a bit of a trek, 4 hours by car from Glasgow, near the end of the Kintyre Peninsula. The town is charming, with much to see in the surrounding area, justifying at least a two-day visit. The world-famous Machrihanish Dunes Golf Course is just ten minutes away. In my opinion, Campbeltown is best seen in conjunction with the islands and Arran, Islay (and Jura) over a week-long tour. Caledonian Macbrayne, Scotland’s west coast ferry service, has a special pass for just such a route, called a Hop Scotch. But if Campbeltown is just too far to go, keep your eye open for one of the many other Cadenhead shops in Edinburgh, London, and across Europe. In Canada, Cadenhead Small Batch whiskies can be purchased from Kensington Wine Market in Calgary.

Cadenhead is celebrating its 175th Anniversary in 2017, so let’s raise a glass for their continued good spirits!