The 15-year-old White Heather meanwhile has a slightly higher RRP of £59.99, which contains both peated and unpeated malts. The maturation system has been a mix of sherry butts and American oak barrels, before being blended by Billy Walker and re-racked into the Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry puncheons, as well as American virgin oak casks for an additional three years. The scent is described as having waves of heather honey and butterscotch, with a mouthfeel of treacle, heather honey and butterscotch followed by orange peel, grapefruit and almonds.
The two whiskies have been crafted by Billy Walker, a veteran who is marking his 50th year in the industry. Walker said the following about the new products: “From the outset, it has been my aim to release quality whiskies at fair and accessible price points. This can be a significant challenge when you also choose to deploy an extensive and costly wood management policy, however, I believe The GlenAllachie 8-year-old fits the bill without any compromises or corner-cutting. In terms of White Heather, this has been a real passion project for me. It takes me back to my first forays in the industry and allows me to select and blend whiskies from across Scotland in order to achieve the intended flavour profile. I hold a strong belief that interest in the Premium Blend category is growing, and we very much want to be at the forefront of it with White Heather.”
They are both available to buy through global specialist retailers, at their aforementioned RRP’s.