The GlenAllachie Distillery lately introduced the penultimate bottling its Previous, Current & Future Sequence, this one a uncommon Japanese cask completed single malt Scotch.
They’re calling it The GlenAllachie Billy Walker fiftieth Anniversary Current Version 16-year-old Mizunara Virgin Oak Cask End.
The Previous, Current & Future Sequence launched in Might, and the whisky vary honors Whisky Grasp Billy Walker’s half-century-long profession within the Scotch whisky trade. Every launch symbolizes what’s described as a key milestone for the longtime whisky blender.
The GlenAllachie Current Version 16yo Mizunara Virgin Oak End (picture by way of The GlenAllachie)
An announcement from GlenAllachie notes that the Current Version simply revealed is a Mizunara Virgin Oak Cask End, Walker’s first use of the distinctive oak species, and it represents the wooden coverage he’s at the moment implementing at The GlenAllachie Distillery.
With a give attention to experimenting with fascinating and uncommon casks from small-scale, premium producers, the Speyside distillery’s annual cask finances for 2022 stands at $2.6M USD.
This 16-year-old whisky first matured in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry wooden earlier than being transferred into the uncommon Mizunara virgin oak casks with a medium stage of toasting and charring.
Mizunara is a scarce species of Japanese oak hardly utilized in whisky manufacturing because of its expense and the various challenges it poses to manufacturing.
The assertion from GlenAllachie went on to elucidate that Mizunara oak tends to twist because it grows, which creates points for stave manufacturing. And its porous nature, which on one hand is useful permitting for larger interplay between whisky and wooden, makes it extra inclined to leak throughout maturation.
Moreover, the Mizunara timber should develop to be round 200 years outdated earlier than being felled, twice the age of most oaks used for casks.
With its two-step maturation journey, the GlenAllachie 16-year Mizunara completed whisky comes out a chestnut-hued single malt that options notes of darkish chocolate fondant, forest fruits, stem ginger and coconut shavings.
The discharge is proscribed to 2,900 bottles globally, every clocking in at 48% ABV, with out added coloring or chill filtration.
Billy Walker, who was inducted into Whisky Journal’s Corridor of Fame final 12 months, has spearheaded The GlenAllachie Distillery since 2017. In that point, the distillery garnered awards together with the title of World’s Greatest Single Malt (World Whiskies Awards, 2021).
“As a grasp distiller, I’m frequently requested what quantity of the flavour profile of a whisky I attribute to the wooden, to which I reply not less than 70 p.c,” Walker defined. “As a chemist, I discover supervising the flavour growth of our whisky because it interfaces with fascinating cask varieties actually fascinating. One factor I’ve completely realized within the final 50 years is that there aren’t any shortcuts to attaining high quality.”
The Current Version joins the primary launch within the vary, The Previous Version, a 16-year-old 100% Sherry matured single malt Scotch whisky launched in Might of this 12 months.
The GlenAllachie Billy Walker fiftieth Anniversary Current Version may be bought via world specialist retailers with a UK steered retail value of £280.
For extra info on this whisky or the vary, try www.theglenallachie.com.
