This mahogany malt obtains its spicy, treacly flavours from maturation in hogsheads made of Spanish Oak (Quercus Robur). This particular wood was sourced from the regions of Galicia and Asturias, specifically from the forests of the Cantabrian Mountains, which have a cool, humid climate. The oak was air dried for around 18 months and then toasted and charred to a medium level, opening up the oak to allow our complex spirit to extract its cask character. The secondary ageing in these virgin casks deepened the mahogany hue of the whisky and created a palate rich with dried fruits, maraschino cherries and hints of stem ginger.
TASTING NOTES :
COLOR: Mahogany.
NOSE: Hints of orchard fruits, bread spices, and sticky toffee pudding, with notes of brown sugar, glacé cherries, and citrus.
PALATE: Chocolate, coffee, heather honey, pepper, ginger, molasses, banana, and currants on the finish. .
Data sheet
Specific References
Specially selected by Billy Walker, Limited Release: 2,600 cases, Matured in ex-Bourbon barrels with secondary maturation in Grattamacco barriques, Matured in Speyside, Non-chill filtered, No added colouring.
Factors such as the oak species, level of toasting, and coopering of the cask each leave a unique mark on the slumbering spirit. The oak itself was previously influenced by the grape variety and terroir of the winery from which we sourced these barriques; thus, the wood adds distinctive layers of complexity, depth and charm.
Finlaggan Old Reserve is a peated single malt whisky from an undisclosed distillery on Islay. Bottled by Vintage Malt, it is a whisky with saline and smoky notes.
To create the GlenAllachie Wine Cask series, master blender Billy Walker first matured the spirit in the finest American oak ex-Bourbon barrels, before transferring the whisky into hand-selected European wine casks for secondary aging.
Billy added a distinctive touch to this edition by blending four exceptional wine cask finishes into one unique expression: The Cuvée Wine Cask Finish.
The 9-year-old Cuvée is a marriage of spirits from several fine wine barrels originating from the world-renowned regions of Bordeaux, Languedoc, and Valpolicella.
Each striving to better the last, Batch 10 is a true illustration of the artistry and expertise that creates every drop of our liquid gold. To deliver our classically Sherried profile, Billy hand-selected Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso casks to be married with spirit maturing in red wine barriques and medium toast/medium char American virgin oak barrels. The result is a well-balanced, yet complex malt with distinctive notes of dark fruits and layers of warming sweet spice.
Merlet’s Crème de Framboise (Raspberry liqueur) guarantee consistent quality. Thanks to their position as currant growers and winemakers, the Merlets are able to exchange with their partner producers and call on their own expertise to select fruits of optimal ripeness.
A 2015 addition to the Finlaggan range, named Eilean Mor (those of you that know about Islay's geography will be familiar with that name). This expression has been bottled at a slightly higher strength than other Finlaggan release (not including the Cask Strength, of course). The whisky comes from an undisclosed distillery on Islay - it's a closely guarded secret as to which one...
Since 2015, Merlet Saintonge Blackcurant liqueur (Crème de cassis de Saintonge) holds the Geographical Indication status, in recognition of a unique 30-years expertise in growing blackcurrants and turning them into liqueur. The Charentais terroir imparts unique properties to the Noir de Bourgogne variety, naturally rustic, and limits its yields.