Glenallachie 2009 9yo (Secret Spirits)

Today’s scotch is yet another sub-teenager bourbon cask Speyside. This time, from Glenallachie, and yet again bottled by the calendar’s producer Secret Spirits. This Glenallachie is bottled a 65.6% and is 9 years old.

This is part of a series of blind tastings from the “The Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar 5th Edition” advent calendar. I do not know what is in the calendar, so every one of these reviews is 100% no prior knowledge.

1. Macduff 2003 14yo (Single Cask Nation)
2. Wemyss Wooden Chest
3. Lost Distillery Company Auchnagie Classic
4. Glen Moray 2008 9yo #5764 (Secret Spirits)
5. Craigellachie 12yo 2006 Cask Strength (Secret Spirits)
6. Exclusive Malts Islay Sherry Cask (Laphroaig)
7. Adelphi Breath of Speyside 2006 (11yo)
8. Balmenach 2004 13yo (Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask)
9. Glen Moray 2007 10yo (A.D. Rattray)
10. Royal Brackla 2006 11yo (Secret Spirits)
11. Wemyss Delicious Burst
12. Lost Distillery Company Stratheden Classic
13. Auchinderom - Peated Glenglassaugh (Malt Whisky Company)
14. Knockdhu 2009 9yo (A.D. Rattray)
15. Caol Ila 2009 9yo (Secret Spirits)
16. Wemyss Nectar Grove
17. Glentauchers 2008 10yo (Secret Spirits)
18. Glenallachie 2009 9yo (Secret Spirits)
19. Williamson (Laphroaig) 2005 13yo (A.D. Rattray)
20. Stones of Stenness Orkney Aged 18yo (Single Cask Nation)
21. Inchgower 1995 21yo (Hunter Laing Old Malt Cask)
22. Towiemore Archivist (Lost Distillery Company)
23. North British 1988 30yo (A.D. Rattray)
24. Inchmurrin 1996 21yo (Secret Spirits)
25. Glen Grant 1988 30yo (A.D. Rattray)

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Distiller: Glenallachie
Bottler: Secret Spirits
Distilled: 2009
Bottled: 2018
ABV: 65.6%
Age: 9yo
Cask type: ex-Bourbon
Source: Scotch Whisky Advent Calendar
Setting: Blind

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Nose: Buttery melon, sultanas, yellow fruit, deep and rich golden syrup and honey. A rather sweet rum-like nose. makes me wonder what this is finished in.
Palate: Warm and mouthcoating, maple syrup and honey quickly flatten to mothballs.
Finish: A herbal tea finish of chamomile, hops and mint. Not where I saw it going from the aroma! Interesting as hell!
Overall: This was a very interesting one. Honey and syrup forward on the nose, and seemingly on the palate too, before pulling out the rug from under you and drying to a strange mothball character. This grows to more interesting flavours of herbal tea and chamomile. Pretty unique whisky here, I’m really interested to hear what it’s been finished in. Good stuff!
Rank: 7
Reveal: It seems that the creator of this calendar lined up a ton of boring bourbon-cask Speysides just to fool us with this one. For where the others were not particularly interesting, this one was intensely interesting. I have a hard time believing it’s bourbon cask! I would have expected something closer to Madeira or Sauterne. Very interesting indeed.