Billy Walker, GlenAllachie, Sherry Casks & Color

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The name Billy Walker has become synonymous with quality Sherry aged or finished whiskies from his previous days with Glendronach, BenRiach and to a lesser degree Glenglassaugh distilleries. Today it is GlenAllachie that he is trying to revive and rebuild the reputation that his previous distilleries had. That has required a lot of work in re-casking and patience because to produce good Single Malt Scotch it requires hard work and patience. Is he there yet? Well I think from the awards he has won so far that he is getting closer.
What I really wanted to focus on is cask aging, finishing and color. If the color is natural what does it tell you about the cask? What type of casks produce a darker or lighter color? Why do some companies add color? Are they afraid to show the real color because they are hiding the the quality of the casks? Are our consumers getting more educated and want to see laws requiring that the added color information has to be on the bottle and container? Should the same goes for chill filtration? Are we better to stay with the companies that are more transparent and give us that information on the bottle or container? Lots of questions to ask and maybe you have some as well.
The reason I chose Billy Walker and GlenAllachie is because of his honest presentation of the whisky's natural color by not adding color. I respect the fact that all his whiskies are non chill filtered and have a minimum 46% ABV. I believe his choice of aging in both ex-Bourbon barrels and ex-Sherry Butts will help us understand the relationship between the cask finish and the color. Let's watch this video to understand more. Enjoy the video. Slàinte Mhath
Please note that the contents of this video are my own personal opinions and perspectives and are not intended to insult other people's views. And remember to PLEASE GIVE US A LIKE if you enjoyed the review and NEW SUBSCRIBERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO THIS CHANNEL.

[@paulm749]

You've provided good information here. So far, I've only tried the standard GlenAllachie 12 and a Spec's (Texas) retailer exclusive 12yo single cask bottled at full strength. IMHO the standard 12 was fine but not really exceptional, whereas the the cask strength 12 was very good, showing evidence that they used a quality cask to mature the spirit. However, with both examples I couldn't really find a distinctive flavor or aroma note from the distillate itself, making the overall taste just a bit generic. I hope to try their standard 15yo soon to see what a little more age does for this whisky.

[@noelsworldofwhisky8208]

Thanks for the reply and I agree with you. I enjoyed the fifteen but felt that the casks were weak in the 18 so I would be cautious there especially with the higher price. Slàinte Mhath