Glenallachie 15 years

Score: 64

GlenAllachie 15 Year Old came in with big sherry energy and a lot of expectation—but in the club’s tasting, it landed 5th out of 6. Aged exclusively in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso barrels, it’s a classic example of the heavily-finished sherried style, bottled at 46% ABV and non-chill filtered. The nose brought baking spice, orange peel, and rye bread, with a punch of Turkish rug shop, earthy, spiced, and slightly exotic. On the palate, it leaned into old wine and orange peel, brown butter, and a grind or two of black pepper. The heavy sherry influence carried through to the finish, with cocoa powder and pepper lingering alongside a gritty, brooding barrel char note. Despite its depth and intensity, it didn’t quite click with the club on the day. It drinks hotter than its ABV suggests, with a chalky, peppery grip that some found a bit aggressive. There’s nuance, almond, chocolate, overripe banana, coffee bean but it’s wrapped in a bold, slightly unruly package. GlenAllachie 15 is a whisky that demands attention, but in this lineup, it didn’t quite earn the spotlight. Still, for fans of big sherry and brooding complexity, it’s a dram worth revisiting, just maybe not the crowd-pleaser of the night.