Aberlour
Part of Chivas Brothers' portfolio, Aberlour is best known for its cult expression, A'Bunadh.
GlenAllachie
Distillery & brand
Although its whisky was predominantly used by past owner Chivas Brothers for blending, under new ownership GlenAllachie is emerging as a single malt.
GlenAllachie distillery
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Lightness is a characteristic of most of the 1960s distilleries and Glenallachie has been no exception. A malty undertone adds some textural quality to the palate while delicate fruits rise above. Under the new ownership of the GlenAllachie Distillery Company however fermentation times have been lengethened, lending the spirit a fruitier, and more muscular quality. Peated runs now account for 20% of production, although peated GlenAllachie won't appear on shelves for a number of years yet.
GlenAllachie History
One of the results of the US-fuelled 1960s whisky boom, GlenAllachie was built in 1967 by Scottish & Newcastle Breweries’ distilling subsidiary, Mackinlays. It is notable for being one of the distilleries designed by William Delmé-Evans who was also behind Macduff, Tullibardine and Jura.
In 1985, Mackinlays became part of own-label specialist Invergordon Distillers which flipped Glenallachie to Campbell Distillers/Pernod Ricard four years later, during most of which it had been mothballed.
It has only very rarely been seen as a single malt bottling – most notably as part of Chivas Brothers’ Cask Strength series.
In July 2017, it was announced that Chivas Brothers had agreed to sell GlenAllachie to The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, operated by former BenRiach MD Billy Walker, ex-Inver House Distillers MD Graham Stevenson and Trisha Savage. A capital ‘A’ was added to the distillery name, in keeping with the changes Walker made to BenRiach and GlenDronach under his stewardship.
The new owners are in the process of relaunching GlenAllachie as a distillery known for its ‘big’, fruity malt whisky. Six single cask bottlings were released in April 2018, with GlenAllachie’s first core range of single malts set for launch in June 2018.
Timeline
- 1967 Glenallachie is built by Mackinlays
- 1985 Mackinlays becomes part of Invergordon Distillers
- 1989 Glenallachie is purchased by Campbell Distillers (later part of Pernod Ricard)
- 2005 The first, and only, official Glenallachie bottling is a 16-year-old cask strength
- 2017 Chivas announces sale of Glenallachie to consortium led by ex-BenRiach MD Billy Walker
GlenAllachie Facts
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- Capacity (mlpa) i
- 3.9
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- Condenser Type i
- Shell and tube
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- Fermentation Time i
- 100hrs
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- Filling Strength i
- 63.5%
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- Grist Weight (t) i
- 9.4
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- Heat Source i
- Wash - internal steam pans/radiators,. Spirit - internal steam coils
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- Malt Specification i
- 20% peated malt
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- Malt Supplier i
- Various. Main varieties are Propino, Optic, Oxbridge and Concerto
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- Mash Tun Material i
- Stainless Steel
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- Mash Tun Type i
- Semi Lauter
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- New-make Strength i
- 67-70%
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- Spirit Still Charge (l) i
- 15,000
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- Spirit Still Shape i
- Ogee
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- Stills i
- 2 pairs
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- Wash Still Charge (l) i
- 21,500
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- Wash Still Shape i
- Lamp glass
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- Washback Type i
- Lined with stainless steel
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- Washbacks i
- 6
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- Water Source i
- Ben Rinnes Springs
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- Wort Clarity i
- Moderately clear
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- Yeast Type i
- Kerry Cream
Owners
Current owner
- The GlenAllachie Distillers Company Ltd 2017 - present
Previous owners
- Chivas Brothers Holdings 2001 - 2017
- Campbell Distillers 1989 - 2001
- Invergordon Distillers 1985 - 1989
- Mackinlay McPherson 1967 - 1985
Contact
- Address
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Glenallachie Distillery
Glenallachie
Moray
AB38 9LR
United Kingdom - Phone
- +44 1340 871315
- Visitor Opening Hours
- Not open to the public
Map
See also
-
Distillery & brand