GlenAllachie Wine Series 9 Year Old Cuvee Cask Finish Scotch Whisky
GlenAllachie Wine Series 9 Year Old Cuvee Cask Finish Scotch Whisky is Billy Walker's wine-cask laboratory in a bottle — a 9-year-old Speyside single malt at 48% ABV in a 700mL bottle, first matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels, then finished in a cuvée of four European wine barriques: Languedoc, Recioto della Valpolicella, and two undisclosed Premier Cru Classé Bordeaux châteaux. Bottled non-chill-filtered with no added color. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 96 proof (48% ABV) — 700mL
- Age: 9 years; 2012 vintage
- Casks: ex-bourbon, finished in four wine barriques (Languedoc, Recioto, 2× Premier Cru Bordeaux)
- Style: non-chill-filtered, natural color
- Origin: GlenAllachie Distillery, Speyside, Scotland — Master Blender Billy Walker
Four Wine Casks, One Marriage
Most "wine finish" whiskies see a single cask type; the Cuvée Cask Finish is a deliberate blend of four. Walker selected barriques from Languedoc for red fruit and sweet spice, Recioto della Valpolicella for cherry and raspberry depth, and two Premier Cru Classé Bordeaux casks for blackcurrant, espresso, and truffle notes — then married them into a 2012-vintage malt that drinks like a tour of a great cellar. It's the Wine Series thesis in one bottle: wood as a flavor language. Explore more wine-cask Scotch whisky or browse everything from GlenAllachie at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Golden bronze; orange blossom, espresso, maraschino cherry, honeysuckle, and candied stone fruit on the nose. The palate delivers dark chocolate, redcurrants, burnt coffee bean, crystallised almond, and blackberry, closing with orange zest, ginger, and liquorice.
How to Enjoy
Neat in a tulip glass — at 48% and non-chill-filtered, it needs nothing but a few minutes of air; a drop of water opens the wine-cask fruit further.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "cuvée cask" mean?
Here it means a marriage of four different wine-cask finishes — Languedoc, Recioto della Valpolicella, and two Premier Cru Bordeaux — rather than a single cask type.
Is it chill-filtered or colored?
Neither — it is bottled non-chill-filtered with no added caramel coloring at 48% ABV.
How old is it?
Nine years old, from the 2012 vintage.
A wine-lover's Scotch from one of Speyside's great blenders — order GlenAllachie Wine Series Cuvée Cask from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.