Glen Melia, of the Single Malt Fund, on what keeps Glenallachie permanently on his radar
WHAT’S THE STORY?
Everyone loves a revival and Glenallachie distillery is a fantastic example. Relaunched in 2017 with new ownership and big ambition, this small independent Speyside distillery is carving out a big footprint in Scottish distilling.
WHO’S DRIVING IT?
The team behind Glenallachie is terrific. Best-known is Billy Walker, the master distiller and unrivalled champion of whisky. Trish Savage is commercial director. Trish has worked with Billy for years but also has decades of experience in distillery management. Billy’s success at other distilleries is legendary and between them and the rest of top management they started building a team of highly experienced and enthusiastic sales, operations and distillery staff.
Billy Walker, Master Distiller at Glenallachie Distillery
WHY DOES IT STAND OUT?
Billy Walker applied his knowledge of cask selection and wood finishing to the Glenallachie range and quickly established their new distillery as a leader in this crucial area. The choice of Glenallachie as a distillery over any other operation they could have chosen was interesting too. Glenallachie was a lesser-known brand with a history of blends rather than the craft distillery direction the new team were looking for. In that sense, they had a full reinvention on their hands which is likely a more enjoyable place to start than picking up an already established brand. This is a much more exciting proposition for the customer and probably a lot of fun for the team.
Cask selection and wood finishing at Glenallachie is superb
WHAT’S THEIR EDGE?
For me, the fact that they have priced their single cask bottlings at a really approachable level is testament to who they are and their respect for whisky and their customers. Single cask bottlings at release should be achievable to the ordinary buyer or collector and you can purchase a fantastic single cask bottling at launch at a great price point. This makes getting behind the distillery really accessible for new fans. Their 12-Year-Old French oak single cask bottling, for example, is a beautiful result of cask innovation at an amazing price point. Another interesting part of their approach is that they’ve reduced capacity at the distillery while increasing fermentation time. This move goes against the trend of ‘bigger and faster’ that is driving many brands in whisky today. It’s a signal that they’re pursuing quality at all costs and this matters in a crowded market.
WHAT DO OTHERS THINK?
It would be hard to argue with the top team’s vision, given their experience and expertise, and most commentators have been happy to weigh in behind their reboot of the brand. But in the short time they’ve been in charge they’ve grabbed headlines in the most spectacular way. In 2020 their 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 4 won the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whisky Awards. This global stamp of approval was just the push they needed for a big leap forward in brand awareness.
Glenallachie 10-, 12-, 18- and 25-year-old
WHAT’S THE GLENALLACHIE CORE RANGE?
They produce a 10-year-old Cask Strength, a 12-, 15- and 18-year-old at 46.6%, a 21-year-old Cask Strength, a 25-year-old at 48% and a 30-year-old Cask Strength. As well as their single cask, wood finish and wine cask range they also produce MacNair’s Lum Reek, a blend of single malts from Islay and Speyside and White Heather, a 21-year-old premium blend.
Glenallachie: a small distillery with a very big future
THE BOTTOM LINE?
Glenallachie is a small distillery with a very big future. They’re popular, independent and highly bankable. The value of their releases is only going to increase in future decades and becoming part of that success now is a great journey for collectors to be on.
– In conversation with Gary Quinn
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