The GlenAllachie Distillers Company has announced the launch of its first blended Scotch whisky.
The limited-edition White Heather 21 Years Old is a small-batch blend with a high single malt content crafted by The GlenAllachie's renowned master distiller, Billy Walker.
The White Heather brand was acquired by The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, led by Walker, in 2017, along with The GlenAllachie Distillery and MacNair's Lum Reek Blended Malt brand.
To create the new release, Walker harked back to his early days in the whisky industry at Hiram Walker, where he first practised the art of blending. He sourced single malt and grain whiskies from the Highlands, Islay and Speyside, which spent 18 years maturing in a combination of first-fill American barrels, sherry butts and second-fill barrels and hogsheads.
Walker crafted the final recipe - which includes some vintage GlenAllachie - in the GlenAllachie Distillery lab, then laid the blend down for an additional three-year maturation in a mix of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso puncheons and Appalachian virgin oak casks.
The resulting whisky has been bottled at 48% ABV, without chill filtration or added colouring. Only 2,000 bottles of the release will be made available worldwide through specialist retailers (RRP £120).
On this landmark release, Walker said: "This whisky is particularly close to my heart. Creating this blend took me back almost 50 years to when I started my career at Hiram Walker. It was there I started to learn the art of blending and the specialist skills required to select whiskies that when interfaced with each other ultimately amplified the overall flavour experience.
"With White Heather, I poured everything I’ve learned on my whisky journey into crafting a truly memorable small-batch aged blend that sits proudly alongside even the very best single malts. I wanted to honour the original blend whilst recreating it in a much more premium form with exceptional wood. It’s a fine balance bringing together the character of such different whiskies and cask types, but I’m incredibly proud to now unveil the end result."
White Heather is being unveiled in the same week that Billy Walker is inducted into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame.
The limited-edition White Heather 21 Years Old is a small-batch blend with a high single malt content crafted by The GlenAllachie's renowned master distiller, Billy Walker.
The White Heather brand was acquired by The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, led by Walker, in 2017, along with The GlenAllachie Distillery and MacNair's Lum Reek Blended Malt brand.
To create the new release, Walker harked back to his early days in the whisky industry at Hiram Walker, where he first practised the art of blending. He sourced single malt and grain whiskies from the Highlands, Islay and Speyside, which spent 18 years maturing in a combination of first-fill American barrels, sherry butts and second-fill barrels and hogsheads.
Walker crafted the final recipe - which includes some vintage GlenAllachie - in the GlenAllachie Distillery lab, then laid the blend down for an additional three-year maturation in a mix of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso puncheons and Appalachian virgin oak casks.
The resulting whisky has been bottled at 48% ABV, without chill filtration or added colouring. Only 2,000 bottles of the release will be made available worldwide through specialist retailers (RRP £120).
On this landmark release, Walker said: "This whisky is particularly close to my heart. Creating this blend took me back almost 50 years to when I started my career at Hiram Walker. It was there I started to learn the art of blending and the specialist skills required to select whiskies that when interfaced with each other ultimately amplified the overall flavour experience.
"With White Heather, I poured everything I’ve learned on my whisky journey into crafting a truly memorable small-batch aged blend that sits proudly alongside even the very best single malts. I wanted to honour the original blend whilst recreating it in a much more premium form with exceptional wood. It’s a fine balance bringing together the character of such different whiskies and cask types, but I’m incredibly proud to now unveil the end result."
White Heather is being unveiled in the same week that Billy Walker is inducted into the Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame.
